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JUDITH  OF  BETHULIA 


JUDITH 

OF 

BETHULiA 

A  TRAGEDY 

BY 

THOMAS  BAILEY  ALDRICH 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

flitictsibe  ptras, 
1905 


COPYRIGHT    1904   BY   THOMAS   BAILEY   ALDRICH 
ALL   RIGHTS    RESERVED 

Published  November  1004 


SECOND    EDITION. 


THIS  play  —  written  for  Miss  Nance 
O'Neil  and  produced  at  the  Tremont 
Theatre,  Boston,  October  13,  1904  — 
is  in  part  a  dramatization  of  the  au 
thor's  narrative  poem  "Judith  and 
Holofernes."  Though  it  contains  lines 
and  passages  from  the  story,  the  drama 
is  essentially  a  distinct  work,  dealing 
with  characters,  incidents,  and  situa 
tions  not  to  be  found  in  the  poem  or 
in  the  apocryphal  episode  upon  which 
both  pieces  were  based. 

November,  1904. 


NOTE  TO  SECOND  EDITION 

THE  changes  made  in  the  two  scenes 
constituting  Act  III  are  in  conso 
nance  with  the  author's  original  de 
sign  which  the  date  set  for  the  stage 
production  of  the  play  prevented  him 
from  elaborating. 

May,  1905. 


CHARACTERS 

HOLOFERNES,  Chief-captain  of  the  Assyrians 
ACHIOR,  The  Ammonite,  lately  fled  from  Holof ernes 

and  in  love  with  Judith 
BAGOAS,  Captive  and  slave  to  Holof  ernes 
OZIAS,       -\ 

CHARMIS,  V  Patriarchs  of  the  beleaguered  town 
C HARRIS,  J 
JOACHIM, 


"} 

U 


,    Two  Scholars 
NATHAN, 

ABNER,  1 

\  Captains  of  the  Watch 
HADAD,  J 

ELIKA,     \ 

>  Spearmen 
LAMECH,  J 

FIRST  CAPTAIN 
SECOND  CAPTAIN 

THIRD  CAPTAIN 

_  _,  of  Holof  ernes'  Army 

FOURTH  CAPTAIN 

FIFTH  CAPTAIN 
AN  ARCHER 


JUDITH,  A  rich  widow  of  BethuTia 

MARAH,  Handmaid  and  companion  to  Judith 

NAOMI,  A  woman  of  the  people 

Dancing-girls,  musicians,  Assyrian  lords, 
and  soldiers  of  both  armies. 


ACT   I 


JUDITH  OF  BETHULIA 


ACT  I 

SCENE  I.  A  street  in  Bethulia.  Time  :  close  upon  day 
break.  It  is  still  very  dark.  Enter  Ozias,  Charmis, 
and  Chabris  with  Abner  and  Hadad,  captains  of  the 
guard,  preceded  by  several  night-watchmen  carrying 
lighted  lanterns  slung  on  long  staffs.  The  light- 
bearers,  on  halting,  form  in  a  half  circle  behind  the 
speakers. 

OZIAS 
HERE  let  us  pause  a  moment  and  take  breath. 

(To  Abner) 

What  is  the  hour  ? 

ABNER 

'T  is  close  upon  the  dawn. 

CHARMIS 

At  dawn  it  was  we  were  to  hear  their  prayer. 

OZIAS 

Their  orders,  rather.    We  no  longer  rule. 


4  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  ACT  I 

CHABRIS 

Hunger  and  thirst  and  fever  rule  us  now. 

The  people  threaten  to  break  down  the  gates 

Unless  within  the  limit  of  five  days 

We    somehow    get    them    bread    and  meat  and 

drink, 
Or  come  to  terms  with  the  Assyrians. 

CHARMIS 

That  means  surrender. 

CHABRIS 

And  surrender  means  — 

OZIAS 
Slaughter,  since  Holofernes  seldom  spares 

Woman  or  child.     Scant  mercy  will  he  show 
To  us  who  for  a  month  have  blocked  his  march 
Through  the  hill-passes. 


CHARMIS 

Can  the  town  be  held 


Much  longer? 


OZIAS 
No.     Starvation  faces  us, 

Draws  each  day  nearer.    We  have  still  some  grain, 


SCENE  I          JUDITH    OF   BETHULIA  5 

And  just  outside  the  Eastern  Gate  a  spring 
The  foe  have  not  discovered. 

HADAD 

Pardon,  lord. 

This  night  they  crept  up  to  the  outer  wall 
And  dammed  the  water-course. 

OZIAS,  angrily 

Where  were  our  guards, 
To  let  that  happen  ? 

HADAD 

Thrice  their  number  came 
And  fell  upon  them  in  the  dead  of  night. 
The  bodies  of  our  comrades  choke  the  stream. 

CHABRIS 

Each  moment  brings  some  new  calamity ! 

CHARMIS 

Aye ;  it  is  whispered  that  the  pest  is  here. 

At  set  of  sun  two  women  and  a  child 

Were  taken  with  strange  sickness  on  the  street. 

CHABRIS 
Perchance  they  drank  of  some  infected  well. 


6  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  I 

CHARMIS 

Enoch  the  leech,  most  wise  in  that  disease, 
Named  it  the  plague. 

OZIAS 

Alas,  that  this  should  be ! 

(To  Hadad) 

What  other  stroke  has  fortune  dealt  to  us 
By  stealth  ? 

HADAD 

Nought  else.     The  foe  have  made  no  move 
Save  that  I  told  thee  of. 

OZIAS 

Unwatchful  eyes, 
Methinks,  are  those  we  trust  to  guard  our  sleep  ! 

ABNER 

Few  are  the  eyes  that  have  not  watched  this  night. 
Even  the  widow  Judith  hath  stood  guard, 
Since  dusk,  upon  the  Tower. 

CHARMIS 

What  brings  her  there  ? 

ABNER 

I  know  not.     Achior  the  Ammonite, 

Who  has  not  quit  the  courtyard  since  she  came, 


SCENE  I        JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  7 

Told  me,  in  passing,  that  late  yestere'en 

He  saw  her  hasten  through  the  court  and  climb 

The  mouldy  stairway,  at  whose  foot  he  waits 

To  shield  her  from  mischance  when  she  descends. 

Rude  folk,  and  wanton,  wander  in  the  dark. 

CHABRIS 

Strange  she  should  spend  the  night  upon  the  Tower ! 

OZIAS 

Doubtless  she  sought  the  quiet  of  the  place 
There  in  the  starlight  to  commune  with  God. 
Standing  in  silence  on  some  lofty  height 
I  have  myself  felt  nearer  unto  Him. 
A  holy  woman,  dead  Manasseh's  wife. 
Her  feet  are  swift  to  mercy.     Through  the  siege 
Her  touch  has  soothed  the  dying,  and  her  voice 
In  the  dull  ear  of  sorrow  whispered  hope. 
An  angel  of  sweet  mercy  has  she  been ! 

CHARMIS 

Yet  till  we  fell  upon  this  evil  time 
She  held  herself  aloof  in  her  own  house, 
Leading  a  life  of  penances  and  prayers. 
If  she  went  forth,  't  was  with  a  widow's  veil 


8  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  I 

That  muffled  up  her  beauty  from  the  gaze. 
Comely  and  fair  is  she  to  look  upon  ! 

OZIAS 

Her  beauty  goes  unhidden.    She  is  seen 
In  every  dingy  by-way  of  the  town 
Where  grief  or  pain  has  builded  its  abode. 
No  hovel  is  so  loathsome  but  the  earth 
Before  the  door-sill  bears  her  sandal-print. 

ABNER 

A  saint  among  the  poor !   The  common  folk 
Look  on  her  as  a  kind  of  prophetess, 
Like  Deborah. 

CHABRIS 

I  would  that  she  might  find 
Another  Jael !   But  such  women  now 

Walk  not  the  earth. 

OZIAS 

Who  knows  ?   In  every  age 
Have  mighty  spirits  dwelt  unseen  with  man, 
Biding  the  hour  that  needed  them. 

\The  stage  lightens  a  little 
CHARMIS 

Behold, 
The  dawn  creeps  on  apace.   'T  is  well  we  stir. 


SCENE  I         JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  9 

What  answer  shall  we  give  the  desperate  folk 
Who  bid  us  meet  them  in  the  council-hall 
With  some  device  to  ease  their  misery  ? 
What  can  we  do  that  has  been  left  undone  ? 

CHABRIS 
Such  food  as  is,  the  fighting  man  must  have, 

Though  wife  and  children  starve  —  an  old,  old  tale ! 

OZIAS 
To  yield  the  city  is  to  seal  our  doom 

At  once.   The  people  grant  us  five  days'  grace. 
In  this  brief  respite  what  may  chance,  God  knows. 

CHABRIS 

Then  at  the  end  we  open  wide  our  gates 
To  Holofernes  and  his  hungry  swords ! 

OZIAS,  lifting  up  his  hands 

Unless  God  help  us. 

(  Turns  to  Abner) 

We  can  find  our  way 

Without  the  lanterns.   Get  thee  now  to  bed, 
Thou  and  thy  men,  who  long  have  been  a-foot. 
The  peace  of  God  rest  on  thee  and  thy  house ! 

The  two  officers  salute  the  Patriarchs  and  go  out,  fol 
lowed  by  the  light-bearers  extinguishing  their  lan 
terns. 


io  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  I 

Our  path  leads  by  the  Tower ;  I  fain  would  speak 
With  Judith,  if  she  be  not  gone  from  there. 
That  woman's    name,    pronounced   just    now   by 

chance, 

Sent  a  quick  thrill  of  lightness  to  my  heart, 
An  exultation,  wherefore  I  know  not, 
And  something  whispered  me  :  "Go  talk  with  her  !  " 

CHARMIS 

She  must  have  gone  by  this. 

OZIAS 

'T  is  but  a  step, 

And  we  shall  know.    Meanwhile  the  certainty 
That  she  awaits  us  yonder  in  the  court 
Hath  such  possession  of  me  I  can  see 
The  woman  standing  there,  beneath  the  arch, 
With  parted  lips  as  if  to  speak  to  us  ! 

CHABRIS 
Go  first,  Ozias ;  we  will  follow  thee. 

Dark  stage  and  change  of  scene 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  n 


SCENE  II.  Early  dawn.  A  spacious  courtyard  closed 
in  at  the  rear  by  the  city-wall.  Antiquated  archi 
tecture.  Groups  of  squalid  figures  of  men,  women, 
and  children  dimly  seen  lying  asleep  here  and 
there  in  the  background.  A  dilapidated  archway 
spans  the  left-hand  upper  entrance.  A  short  flight  of 
stone  steps  on  the  right  leads  to  the  door  of  a  round 
tower  forming  part  of  the  fortifications.  Achior,  in 
helmet  and  breastplate,  is  discovered  standing  near  the 
foot  of  the  steps  in  an  attitude  of  expectancy.  Presently 
he  paces  to  and  fro,  glancing  from  time  to  time  up  at 
the  tower  with  an  anxious  expression.  A  distant  peal 
of  trumpets  is  heard.  The  purple  gradually  lightens 
behind  the  battlements.  As  the  scene  progresses, 
citizens  of  wretched  aspect  cross  the  back  of  the  stage, 
and  at  intervals  a  wounded  soldier  is  borne  by  on  a 
litter.  The  effect  to  be  produced  is  that  of  a  crowded 
town  in  a  state  of  siege. 

ACHIOR,  halting  in  front  of  the  tower 

All  this  long  night  upon  the  battlements 
Has  Judith  kept  her  vigil,  and  I  here, 
Low  at  her  feet,  where  I  would  ever  be  — 
Merari's  daughter,  dead  Manasseh's  wife, 


12  JUDITH    OF   EETHULIA  ACT  I 

Who,  since  the  barley  harvest  when  he  died, 
Has  dwelt  three  years  a  widow  in  her  house 
And  looked  on  no  man  :  where  Manasseh  sleeps 
In  his  strait  sepulchre,  there  sleeps  her  heart. 
She  will  not  give  me  pleasure  of  her  eyes 
Nor    any  word  of  comfort.     (Pauses)    There   she 

stands, 

Fairer  than  morning  in  Arabia, 
Her  beauty  blending  with  the  light  of  dawn 
On  yonder  tower.     Now  she  turns,  and  now, 
Like  one  that  wanders  in  a  dream,  descends. 
At  last ! 

Achior  withdraws  a  little.    Judith  appears  in  the  door 
way  of  the  tower 

JUDITH,  descending  the  steps 

The  Lord  be  with  thee,  Achior,  all  thy  days  ! 
May  peace  and  grace  walk  ever  at  thy  side. 

ACHIOR 

Daughter  of  heaven,   would    He  but  grant  thy 

prayer, 

I  should  not  be  the  lonely  man  I  am. 
May  I  a  word  with  thee  ? 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  13 

JUDITH,  brushing  past  him 

Indeed  not  now. 

Nay,  stop  me  not,  for  I  have  haste  to  speak 
Of  weighty  matters  with  the  Patriarchs, 
Who  come  this  way  —  as  if  God  sent  them  to  me  ! 

ACHIOR,  aside,  Impatiently 

So  ends  my  waiting  !     Never  have  I  chance 
To  be  alone  with  her  but  some  ill  thing 
Steps  in  between  us  !  —  Then  some  other  hour, 
Fair  Judith  ? 

JUDITH,  preoccupied 

Yes,  some  other  hour  than  this. 
Enter  Ozias,  Chabris,  and  Charmis. 
CHARMIS,  aside  to  Chabris 

Lo  !  she  is  here.     'T  is  as  Ozias  said. 

She  seems  like  one  foreknowing  we  would  come. 

Judith  approaches  the  Patriarchs  with  her  hands 
crossed  upon  her  bosom,  and  makes  low  obeisance. 
Achior  retires  up  the  stage,  and  during  the  ensu 
ing  dialogue  watches  the  speakers  with  deep  interest. 

OZIAS,  pausing  and  gazing  intently  at  Judith 

I  marvel  much  that  in  this  stricken  town 


14  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  I 

Is  one  face  left  not  pinched  with  fear,  nor  wan 
With  grief's  acquaintance.     Such  is  Judith's  face. 

CHARMIS 

/That  woman  walketh  in  the  light  of  God. 

JUDITH 

Would  it  were  so  !     If  so,  I  know  it  not ; 

Yet  this  I  know,  that  where  faith  is,  is  light. 

Oh,  is  it  true,  Ozias,  thou  hast  mind 

To  yield  the  city  to  the  infidels 

After  five  days,  unless  the  Lord  shall  stoop 

From  heaven  to  help  us  ? 

OZIAS,  with  a  despairing  gesture 

It  is  even  so. 

The  enemy  have  failed  to  batter  down 
Our  gates  of  bronze,  or  decent  entrance  make 
With  beam  or  catapult  in  these  tough  walls, 
Or  with  their  lighted  arrows  fire  the  roofs. 
Thus  far  our  strength  has  baffled  them  •  but  lo  ! 
The  wells  run  dry,  the  store  of  barley  shrinks. 
Our  young  men  faint  upon  the  battlements, 
Our  wives  and  children  by  the  empty  tanks 
Lie  down  and  perish. 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  15 

JUDITH 

If  we  doubt,  we  die. 
But  whoso  trusts  in  God,  as  Isaac  did, 
Though  suffering  greatly  even  to  the  end, 
Dwells  in  a  citadel  upon  a  rock : 
Wave  shall  not  reach  it,  nor  fire  topple  down. 

OZIAS 
Our  young  men  die  upon  the  battlements, 

And  day  by  day  beside  the  dusty  wells 
Our  wives  and  children. 

JUDITH 

They  shall  go  and  drink 

At  living  streams,  through  heavenly  pastures  walk 
With  Saints  and  Prophets  in  eternal  life ! 
Is  there  no  God  ? 

OZIAS 
One  only,  one  true  God. 

But  now  His  face  is  turned  aside  from  us, 
He  sees  not  Israel. 

JUDITH 

Is  His  mercy  less 

Than  that  of  Holofernes  ?     Shall  we  trust 
In  this  fierce  Bull  of  Asshur  ? 


16  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  I 

CHABRIS,  with  an  air  of  ending  the  discussion 

All  is  said  ! 

The  foe  has  hemmed  us  in  on  every  side, 
The  plague  is  come,  and  famine  walks  the  streets. 
For  five  days  more  we  place  our  trust  in  God. 

JUDITH,  turning  upon  him  sharply 

Ah,  His  time  is  not  man's  time,  learned  scribe ! 
And  who  are  we  —  the  dust  beneath  His  feet  — 
To  name  the  hour  of  our  deliverance, 
Saying  to  Him  :  Thus  shalt  Thou  do,  and  so  / 
Ozias,  thou  to  whom  the  heart  of  man 
Is  as  a  scroll  illegible,  dost  thou 
Pretend  to  read  the  mystery  of  God  ? 

CHARMIS 

The  woman  sayeth  wisely.     We  are  wrong 
That  in  our  anguish  broke  the  staff  of  faith 
Whereon  we  leaned  till  now.     These  aged  eyes 
Have  lost  their  use  if  I  see  not  in  her 
A  God's  white  Angel  bearing  messages. 

OZIAS 
She  seems  like  one  inspired  —  mark  her  brow, 

The  radiance  of  it !    Thus  some  Sibyl  looks, 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  17 

In  trance,  delivering  her  oracles. 
When  such  lips  speak,  't  is  to  the  souls  of  men. 
Speak  thou,  we  hear.   What  is  it  thou  wouldst  have  ? 

JUDITH 

I  cannot  answer  thee,  nor  make  it  plain 

In  mine  own  thought.     This  night  I  had  a  dream 

Not  born  of  sleep,  for  both  my  eyes  were  wide, 

My  sense  alive  —  a  vision,  if  thou  wilt, 

Of  which  the  scattered  fragments  in  my  mind 

Are  as  the  fragments  of  a  crystal  vase 

That,  slipping  from  a  slave-girl's  careless  hand, 

Falls  on  the  marble.     No  most  cunning  skill 

Shall  join  the  pieces  and  make  whole  the  vase. 

So  with  my  vision.     I  seem  still  to  hear 

Weird  voices  round  me,  inarticulate, 

Words  shaped  and  uttered  by  invisible  lips. 

At  whiles  there  seems  a  palm  prest  close  to  mine 

That  fain  would  lead  me  somewhere.     I  know  not 

What  all  portends.     Some  great  event  is  near. 

Last  night  celestial  spirits  were  on  wing 

Over  the  city.     As  I  sat  alone 

Within  the  tower,  alone  yet  not  alone, 


18  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  ACT  I 

A  strangest  silence  fell  upon  the  land  ; 

Like  to  a  sea-mist  stretching  east  and  west 

It  spread,  and  close  on  this  there  came  a  sound 

Of  snow-soft  plumage  rustling  in  the  dark, 

And  voices  that  such  magic  whisperings  made 

As  the  sea  makes  at  twilight  on  a  strip 

Of  sand  and  pebble.     Suddenly  I  saw  — 

Look,  look,  Ozias  !  Charmis,  Chabris,  look  ! 

See  ye  not,  yonder,  a  white  mailed  hand 

That  with  its  levelled  finger  points  through  air  ? 

OZIAS 
Nought  but  the  vacant  air  do  I  behold. 

JUDITH 

There,  look  thou  there  !  What  blindness  veils  thine 

i 

eyes? 

See,  it  still  lingers,  like  a  silver  mist ! 
It  changes,  fades,  and  then  comes  back  again, 
And  now  't  is  ruby-red  —  as  red  as  blood  ! 

Judith  shades  her  eyes  with  one  palm  as  if  the  bright 
ness  dazzled.  The  Patriarchs,  stricken  with  awe  by 
Judith's  words  and  manner,  follow  the  direction  of  her 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  19 

gaze,  but  evidently  see  nothing.     They  look  at  one 
another  wonderingly.     Then  Judith,  after  a  pause  : 

'T  is  gone  !    Fear  not ;  it  was  a  sign  to  me, 

To  me  alone.     Ozias,  didst  thou  note 

The  way  it  pointed  ?  —  to  the  Eastern  Gate ! 

Send  the  guard  orders  not  to  stay  me  there. 

Oh,  question  not !     The  omen  I  obey. 

I  must  go  hence.     Before  the  shadow  slants 

Upon  the  courtyard  thrice  I  shall  return, 

Else  shall  men's  eyes  not  look  upon  me  more. 

What  darkness  lies  between  this  hour  and  that 

Tongue  may  not  say.     The  thing  I  can,  I  will, 

Leaning  on  God,  remembering  what  befell 

Jacob  in  Syria  when  he  fed  the  flocks 

Of  Laban,  and  how  Isaac  in  his  day, 

And  Abraham,  were  chastened  by  the  Lord. 

OZIAS 

This  passes  understanding.     We  would  more 
Of  thy  design,  for  thou  art  dear  to  us. 

JUDITH 

Wait  thou  in  patience.     Till  I  come,  keep  thou 
The  sanctuaries.     Swear  to  keep  them  —  swear ! 


20  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA          ACT  I 

The  Patriarchs  draw  a  little  apart  and  appear  to  con 
sult  together  for  a  moment. 

OZIAS,  stepping  from  the  group 

Although  thy  speech  is  fraught  with  mystery, 
There  lives  conviction  in  it,  and  we  swear 
To  hold  the  town,  and  if  we  hold  it  not, 
Then  shalt  thou  find  us  in  the  synagogue 
Dead  near  the  Sacred  Ark ;  the  spearmen  dead 
At  the  four  gates ;  upon  the  parapets 
The  archers  bleaching. 

JUDITH 

Be  it  so,  my  lords  — 
Yet  be  it  not  so  !     Shield  me  with  thy  prayers  ! 

Judith  bows  down  before  the  Patriarchs ;  they  lift  their 
hands  in  benediction  above  her  head,  and  then  slowly 
move  away. 

ACHIOR,  advancing  swiftly  down  the  stage 

Daughter  of  heaven !  what  mad  thing  is  this  ? 
Of  thy  dark  commerce  with  these  aged  men 
Something  I  caught,  but  nothing  definite. 
To  some  most  perilous  action  on  thy  part 
They  seemingly  consented.     Tell  me  all ! 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  21 

JUDITH 
Time  and  the  place  prevent  me ;  and  in  truth, 

Whereof  we  spoke  concerns  thee  not  to  know. 
Such  scanty  knowledge  as  thou  hast  of  it 
Keep  locked  within  thy  memory  for  a  while. 

ACHIOR 
Thou  hast  some  wild  and  dangerous  intent 

That  chills  my  blood.     Can  I  not  counsel  thee  ? 

What  evil  dream  at  midnight  in  the  tower 

Has  stolen  thy  reason  ?    Whither  wouldst  thou  go  ? 

JUDITH,  hesitating  a  moment 

Didst  see  that  finger  pointing  to  yon  camp  ? 

ACHIOR 
I  saw  it  not,  nor  thou ! 

JUDITH 

Thither  I  go. 

ACHIOR 

That  thou  shalt  not ! 

JUDITH,  haughtily 

Thou  sayest  ? 

ACHIOR,  grasping  her  -wrist 

Thou  shalt  not ! 


22  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  ACT  I 

O  Judith,  listen  !     Rough  I  am  in  words 

That  would  be  gentle.     What  thy  purpose  is 

Lies  hidden  from  me.    I  see  only  this, 

In  yonder  camp,  among  those  barbarous  hordes, 

Swift  death  awaits  thee,  or  some  darker  fate. 

JUDITH 
That  must  I  venture.     Other  will  than  mine 

Ordains  the  trial.     O  Achior,  free  my  wrist ! 
Dear  friend,  brave  soldier  !     Naught  shall  bar  my 
way. 

ACHIOR,  releasing  her 

O  Judith,  let  love  bar  it !     Since  the  hour, 
Now  two  years  gone,  when  first  I  looked  on  thee, 
No  thought  of  mine  by  day  or  dream  by  night 
Has  been  without  thy  image. 

JUDITH,  recoiling 

Say  it  not ! 
ACHIOR 

Can  I  behold  thee  go  to  shameful  death, 
And  speak  no  word  ?     My  fear  has  made  me  bold. 
Judith,  I  love  thee.     The  dull  sward  that  knows 
Thy  foot's  light  touch  is  hallowed  ground  to  me. 


SCENE  ii       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  23 

I  would  not  have  the  blossom  from  a  bough 
To  fall  upon  thee  rudely. 

JUDITHjy&ra/y,  and  then  with  sudden  gentleness 

Peace,  I  say  !  — 

Dear  soul,  my  heart  lies  buried  in  a  grave, 
I  have  no  love  to  give  thee.     Elsewhere  seek 
Some  Jewish  maiden  worthy  of  thy  worth. 
I  am  thine  elder  both  in  time  and  grief. 
No  more  of  this.     In  kindness,  pain  me  not. 

ACHIOR 

Then  is  my  life  a  maimed  and  worthless  thing. 
Yet  this  is  left  me.     If  thou  still  art  bent 
On  thy  mysterious  errand  to  yon  camp, 
I  '11  go  with  thee.     In  other  days  I  served 
Prince  Holofernes,  from  whose  wrath  I  fled 
To  dwell,  a  wanderer,  in  alien  tents, 
And  since  have  set  my  breast  against  his  spears. 
I  know  him  well.    'T  would  fit  his  darksome  mind 
To  lay  a  hand  on  me.     Together,  then  ! 

JUDITH 

The  Patriarchs  shall  forbid  it !     7  forbid  ! 
Our  path  divides  here,  and  so  fare-thee-well ! 


24  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  I 

Too  long  have  I  been  spendthrift  of  my  time. 
I  must  prepare  me  for  the  journey  hence. 

(Abstractedly) 

I  shall  go  richly  decked,  pearls  in  my  hair 
And  diamonds  on  my  bosom.     My  handmaid 
Shall  even  drape  me  in  the  rustling  silk 
That  in  a  chest  of  camphor-wood  has  lain 
Unworn  since  I  was  wed  —  the  proud  silk  robe, 
Heavy  with  vine-work,  silvery  flower  and  star, 
And  looped  at  either  shoulder  with  a  gem 
To  ransom  princes. 

(Suddenly  conscious  of  Achior) 

What,  still  art  thou  here  ? 
Thou  hast  thy  answer.     Trouble  me  no  more  ! 

ACHIOR 

Thou  art  gone  mad !    The  grievous  sights  and 

sounds 

Of  this  beleaguered  town  have  turned  thy  brain 
And  bred  in  it  some  desperate  resolve. 
Whatever  chances,  I  must  follow  thee. 
I  '11  to  the  Patriarchs  and  get  their  leave  — 
With  or  without  it,  thine  shall  be  my  doom. 


SCENE  ii       JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  25 

JUDITH 

Thou  hast  no  part  in  it.     God  calls  His  own, 
And  I  am  His  and  Israel's  !     I  go 
To  free  my  people,  and,  if  needs  must  be, 
Gladly  to  pay  the  forfeit  with  my  life. 
There  lie  the  pith  and  sum  of  my  intent. 
Stand  back  and  give  me  passage,  Achior  ! 

Judith  brushes  him  aside  and  makes  a  swift  exit  through 
the  archway  at  the  rear  of  the  stage.    Daybreak. 

CURTAIN 


ACT   II 


ACT   II 

SCENE  I.  The  Eastern  Gate.  A  stretch  of  the  an 
cient  city-wall.  In  the  centre  of  the  masonry  is  a 
wide  gateway  before  which  stand  several  soldiers. 
Two  spearmen,  Lamech  and  Elika,  with  levelled 
lances  are  keeping  back,  right  and  left,  a  surging 
mob  of  men,  women,  and  children.  Here  and  there 
is  a  woman  carrying  an  inverted  water-jar.  Nathan 
and  two  or  three  other  respectably  dressed  citizens 
are  seen  in  the  throng.  Murmurs  and  gesticulations. 
Voices  in  the  crowd  cry :  "  Drink !  give  us  drink ! " 
The  rabble  momently  increases.  Time :  forenoon. 

LAMECH 

FALL  back,  good  folk !  Last  night  the  enemy 

Poisoned  the  spring  outside  the  city  wall. 

It  is  forbidden  to  draw  water  now. 

No  soul  may  pass  here.    Back,  poor  creatures,  back ! 

VOICES 
Drink  !  give  us  drink  !  we  die  of  thirst  —  of  thirst ! 

AN  OLD  MAN,  leaning  on  a  staff 

Oh,  are  we  not  Thy  children  who  of  old, 


30  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA          ACT  n 

Trod  the  Chaldean  idols  in  the  dust, 
And  built  our  altars  only  unto  Thee  ? 

VOICES 

Bread !  we  are  starving.     Bread,  or  we  must  die ! 

A  WOMAN 

Just  one  poor  wheaten  loaf  since  yesterday  — 
For  three  of  us  !    In  mercy's  name,  a  crust ! 
My  little  Ruth  is  dying  ! 

LAMECH 

Woman,  peace ! 

'T  is  better  so.     I  saw  our  Rachel  die, 
Our  last  born  ewe  lamb,  and  I  shed  no  tear, 
Knowing  that  hunger  could  not  grieve  her  more. 
So  weep  not  thou. 

ELIKA 

My  bosom  aches  for  thee, 
Beneath  this  breastplate. 

VOICES 

Water !  water !  bread  ! 

NATHAN,  apart 

With  fire  and  sword  and  famine,  evil  days 
Have  fallen  upon  us  !  —  What  is  happening  ? 


SCENE  I        JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  31 

A  perceptible  new  commotion  in  the  crowd,  then  a  sud 
den  hush  as  Joachim  enters  in  haste. 

JOACHIM,  excitedly 

Two  minutes  since,  as  I  was  pondering 

The  famished  folk  that  haunt  the  market-place, 

Where  one  had  fallen,  smitten  with  the  pest, 

A  woman  swept  me  by  —  if  't  was  indeed 

A  woman,  not  an  angel  —  in  a  blaze 

Of  gems  and  snowy  raiment.     Such  a  shape 

Comes  to  men's  dreams.   Along  the  crowded  streets 

Thin,  pleading  hands  reached  out  to  touch  her  hem, 

Rude  archers  doffed  their  head-gear  as  she  passed, 

And  all  the  people  stood  amazed,  as  though 

JT  was  some  seraphic  creature  sent  of  God 

To  save  us  in  our  misery.    Behold, 

The  shining  apparition  moves  this  way ! 

The  crowd  silently  huddle  together  on  one  side  of  the 
stage  and  gaze  wonderingly  in  the  direction  indicated 
by  Joachim. 

VOICES 
A  miracle  !  a  miracle  ! 

NATHAN,  shading  his  eyes  and  looking  off 

Not  so ! 


32  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  II 

And  yet  a  wonder  !  —  dead  Manasseh's  wife, 

Not  in  her  mournful  widow's-weeds,  but  decked 

As  for  a  banquet !     I  remember  her 

In  those  same  bridal  garments  as  she  stood 

Before  the  High  Priest  in  the  synagogue 

One  happier  day  than  this  !     What  may  it  mean  ? 

Surely  she  would  not  mock  us  with  her  state. 

JOACHIM 

I  knew  her  not  in  that  unwonted  guise. 

Enter  Judith  partly  veiled,  a  crowd  following.  She  is 
richly  dressed,  with  jewels  in  her  hair  and  at  the 
throat.  A  mantle  falling  from  one  shoulder  exposes 
the  splendor  of  her  attire.  Close  behind  follows 
Marah,  the  handmaid,  carrying  an  osier  basket.  A 
woman  holds  up  a  child  to  Judith,  who  bends  down 
and  caresses  it. 

JUDITH 

My  heart  bleeds  for  thee,  thou  most  sorrowful ! 

From  brow  and  bosom  I  would  tear  these  jewels 
Couldst  thou  but  eat  them,  or  were  food  to  buy. 
I  give  thee  silver,  though  't  is  mockery ; 
A  dozen  grains  of  barley  were  more  worth. 
Judith  hurriedly  hands  the  woman  several  pieces  of 


SCENE  I        JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  33 

silver  from  a  pouch.     As  she  falls  back  into  the 
crowd,  a  woman  clutches  Judith  by  the  skirt. 

Unloose  thy  fingers  and  delay  me  not ! 

I  go  to  Holofernes,  and  perchance 

By  prayer  and  supplication  I  shall  win 

His  princely  mercy  for  this  stricken  town 

And  all  the  wretched  folk  within  its  walls. 

Nay,  loose  thy  hold,  each  moment  hath  its  price ! 

Judith  wrests  herself  from  the  woman's  grasp,  arranges 
the  veil  over  her  face,  and  approaches  the  two  spear 
men  at  the  gate,  who  stop  her  with  their  crossed  lances 
held  breast-high. 

LAMECH 

None  may  pass  forth  without  the  captain's  seal. 

JUDITH,  drawing  a  parchment  from  her  girdle 

That  have  I  here.     Already  thou  hast  word 
To  speed  me  and  my  handmaid.   I  am  she 
The  parchment  tells  of. 

(Looking  closely  at  one  of  the  spearmen  •while  the  other  examines 
the  scroll) 

Thou  —  I  knew  thee  once, 
Elika,  son  of  Jorim,  aforetime 
My  husband's  herdsman  —  a  brave  soldier  now. 


34  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  II 

Thy  gentle  sister  and  thy  mother,  friend, 
How  fares  it  with  them  ? 

ELIKA 
She  that  clutched  thy  gown, 

That  was  my  mother.   Reason  fled  from  her 
When  Leah  died. 

JUDITH,  -wringing  her  hands 

And  that  was  Naomi, 
And  I  repulsed  her !   Whither  has  she  gone  ? 

Judith  turns  passionately  to  the  crowd,  which  opens  and 
shows  Naomi  standing  in  the  background  with  a 
blank  expression  on  her  countenance.  Judith  takes 
her  tenderly  by  the  hand  and  leads  her  forward. 

Dost  thou  not  know  me  ?   It  was  in  thine  arms 
I  lay  and  slept  the  hour  that  I  was  born. 
Dear  nurse,  look  on  me.   It  is  even  I, 
"  Judith  the  wilful  "  —  thou  didst  call  me  so. 

NAOMI 

Ay,  it  is  Judith,  a  grown  maiden  now, 
The  pearl  of  maidens.   'T  is  thy  wedding  day, 
And  my  sweet  Leah  has  gone,  I  know  not  where  — 
Somewhere  hard  by —  to  gather  snow-white  flowers 
To  deck  thee. 


SCENE  I        JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  35 

JUDITH 

Oh,  she  stabs  me  to  the  heart 
With  her  unreason  ! 

ELIKA 

Ever  thus  she  talks, 

Unmindful,  wandering  from  place  to  place 
In  search  of  Leah.    She  seems  to  know  thee  now, 
But  presently  her  mind  will  be  a  blur. 
See  how  she  stares  at  thee ! 

NAOMI,  gazing  vaguely  at  Judith 

And  who  art  thou 

To  stay  me  in  the  street  here  ?   Dost  thou  bring 
Tidings  of  Leah  ?   Has  she  told  thee  all  — 
How  we  two  lay  at  midnight  parched  with  thirst, 
And  would  not  touch  the  water  in  the  jar 
(Scarcely  a  gill  there  was  !),  but  each  to  each 
Smiled,  and  said:  "Drink  thou !"  Then  I  fell  asleep, 
And  just  at  dawn,  I  being  in  a  drowse, 
She  brought  the  jar  and  set  it  to  my  lip, 
And  I,  unwitting,  drained  the  precious  drops 
That  might  have  saved  her !    When  the  morning 
came 


36  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  n 

She  spoke  no  more,  but  lay  there  white  and  cold. 
Was  that  the  tale  she  told  thee  ?   Oh,  't  was  true  ! 

JUDITH 

If  this  be  not  a  dream,  her  heart  is  broken ! 

NAOMI 

Listen  —  behind  the  wainscot  I  have  hid 
A  cup  of  sweet  rain-water.    I  would  die 
A  thousand  deaths  ere  I  would  taste  of  it ! 
Let  her  come  back  to  me,  my  best  beloved ! 

JUDITH 
This  is  too  piteous !   Some  one  take  her  hence. 

(Discovering  Nathan  in  the  crowd) 

Ah  —  thou,  good  Nathan ;  lead  her  to  my  house 
And  bid  my  people  there  to  care  for  her 
Till  I  —  God  willing  —  shall  come  back  again. 
Go  with  him,  Naomi.  —  Such  balm  as  heals 
A  wounded  spirit  send  Thou  to  this  one  ! 

Judith  places  the  hand  of  Naomi  in  that  of  Nathan,  who 
leads  her  away. 

LAMECH,  returning  the  scroll  to  Judith 

Manasseh's  widow  —  may  God  guard  thee  —  pass ! 
Attendant  soldiers  throw  open  the  heavy  gates.   Lamech 


SCENE  I         JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  37 

and  Elika  range  themselves  on  either  side  and  salute 
Judith  impressively  as  she  passes  out. 

JUDITH,  over  her  shoulder 

Quick,  Marah,  follow  me  ! 

Dark  stage  and  change  of  scene 


38  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  II 


SCENE  II.  The  Camp  of  Asshur.  An  open  space  sur 
rounded  by  cedar  and  olive  trees.  In  the  distant 
background  are  tents  arranged  in  a  semicircle  under 
arching  boughs.  Part  way  down  the  stage  on  the  left 
is  a  marquee  with  green  hangings  covering  the  en 
trance.  Under  a  fringed  canopy  in  the  middle  fore 
ground  Holofernes  is  discovered  lying  upon  a  leop 
ard  skin,  his  head  propped  up  on  one  hand.  On 
each  side  of  him  are  groups  of  Assyrian  lords  and 
captains.  Spearmen  and  men-of-all-arms  observed 
lounging  at  the  wings.  Bagoas  stands  a  little  dis 
tance  from  his  master.  The  soldiers  in  miscellaneous 
costumes,  Holofernes'  army  being  composed  of  con 
scripts  from  a  dozen  different  conquered  nations. 
Time:  noon. 

HOLOFERNES 

O  lords  and  captains,  we  are  put  to  shame. 
How  does  it  happen  that  a  little  town, 
Stuck  like  a  hornet's  nest  against  a  rock, 
Checks  and  defies  such  mighty  hosts  as  ours  ? 
Till  now  we  swept  in  triumph  through  the  land. 
As  the  pent  whirlwind,  breaking  from  its  leash, 


SCENE  II       JUDITH    OF   BETHULIA  39 

Seizes  upon  the  yellow  desert  sands 

And  hurls  them  in  dark  masses  right  and  left, 

So  have  we  scattered  the  great  armies  sent 

To  stop  our  progress.   All  the  nations  saw 

Our  might,  and  cowered.     One  by  one  they  came 

And  swore  allegiance,  grovelling  at  our  feet  — 

The  sons  of  Esau  and  the  Moabites, 

The  tribes  that  dwelt  beside  the  salt-sea  dunes, 

And  those  that  builded  on  the  mountain-tops. 

All,  save  these  dogs  of  Hebrews,  bent  the  knee. 

(An  archer  enters  suddenly) 

What  would  that  man  ?     His  coming  vexes  me. 

THE  ARCHER,  kneeling 

O  lord  and  prince,  that  should  know  all,  know  this : 
An  hour  ago  a  watchman  on  the  height 
That  overlooks  the  city  saw  two  shapes 
From  out  the  eastern  gateway  issue  forth  — 
In  quest  of  water,  it  was  thought  at  first. 
But  no,  they  paused  not  at  the  ruined  well 
Piled  up  three-deep  with  those  we  slew  last  night. 
Straight  on  they  pressed,  and  plunged  into  the  wood 
That  hides  a  hundred  footpaths  through  the  hills, 


40  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  II 

And  there,  as  if  by  magic,  disappeared. 
Swift  runners  were  despatched  to  seek  these  two, 
But  all  in  vain. 

HOLOFERNES 

Begone !   It  matters  not. 
I  would  two  thousand  issued  from  that  gate 
And  gave  us  chance  to  feed  them  with  our  swords. 
Fool  of  the  gods,  to  fetch  me  such  a  tale  ! 

[  The  Archer  salaams  and  goes  out  crestfallen 

Let  no  one  else  break  in  on  our  discourse. 
Give  me  your  wisdom,  ye  who  lead  my  hosts. 
For  a  moon's  length  have  we  been  held  at  bay 
By  a  mere  handful  in  a  crumbling  town 
That  blocks  our  passage  through  the  narrow  pass. 
This  is  the  key  unlocks  a  world  beyond. 
Jerusalem  should  have  fallen  long  ago 
And  all  the  riches  of  Judea  been  ours. 
Some  spell  more  potent  than  the  Hebrew  spears 
Must  work  behind  them.    Speak ;  what  shall  be 
done? 

(  Waves  his  hand  toward  one  of  the  lords) 

Say  on,  brave  Captain  of  the  Elymeans. 
What  voice  is  thine  ? 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  41 

IST  CAPTAIN 

My  voice  is  for  assault. 
Better  lie  dead,  each  man  upon  his  shield, 
Than  waste  here  with  no  grass  to  feed  the  mares 
And  scant  meat  left.   Rust  gathers  on  our  swords. 

HOLOFERNES,  turning  to  another  chief 

And  thou  ? 

2D  CAPTAIN 

My  lord,  a  soberer  counsel  mine. 
Wide  is  the  moat  and  many  are  the  spears, 
And  stout  the  gates.    Have  we  not  flung  our  men 
Against  the  well-set  edges  of  their  swords  ? 
Note  how  the  ravens  wheel  in  hungry  files 
Above  the  trenches ;  watch  them  as  they  rise 
Red-beaked  and  surfeited.   Has  it  availed  ? 
The  city  still  defies  us ;  but  within 
There 's  that  shall  gnaw  its  heart  out,  if  we  wait ; 
For  white-cheeked  famine  and  red-spotted  pest 
Are  our  allies. 

3D  CAPTAIN 

A  judgment !    Let  us  wait. 

4TH  CAPTAIN,  turning  fiercely  on  the  last  two  speakers 

Ye  should  have  tarried  on  the  river's  bank 


42  JUDITH    OF   BETHULIA  ACT  II 

At  home,  and  decked  your  hair  with  butterflies 
Like  the  King's  harlots.     Little  use  are  ye  ! 

STH  CAPTAIN 

Nay,  valiant  Dara,  they  did  well  to  come ; 

They  have  their  uses.     When  our  meat  is  gone 

We  '11  even  feed  upon  the  tender  flesh 

Of  these  tame  girls,  who,  though  they  dress  in  steel, 

Like  more  the  tinkle  of  a  dulcimer 

Than  the  sharp  whisper  of  an  arrowhead. 

Tumult  and  angry  mutterings  among  the  captains; 
several  of  them  lay  hand  on  their  sword-hilts,  and 
threaten  one  another.  The  bowmen  and  spearmen 
at  the  wings  make  ready  with  their  weapons.  Holo- 
fernes  springs  to  his  feet  and  glares  menacingly  at 

the  chiefs. 

HOLOFERNES 

Hold  !  —  Keep  thy  falchions  for  the  enemy. 

Who  draws  a  blade  shall  sheathe  it  in  his  breast !  — 

The  conclave  ends.     Later  I  speak  my  will. 

Judith,  followed  by  Marah,  enters  from  the  rear  of  the 
stage,  halts  in  terror  halfway  down,  and  then  swiftly 
advances,  looking  about  her  to  ascertain  whom  she 
shall  address.  Murmurs  of  surprise  and  admiration 
are  heard  on  every  side.  Marah  remains  in  the  back 
ground,  holding  the  osier  basket  in  her  arms. 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  43 

HOLOFERNES,  starting 

Who  breaks  upon  our  councils  ?     Silence,  all ! 
Whence  comest  thou — thy  mission  and  thy  name? 

JUDITH 

Judith  of  Bethulia  I  am  called. 

HOLOFERNES,  partly  aside 

Methought  the  phantom  of  some  murdered  queen 
Had  risen  from  the  ground  beneath  my  feet !  — 
If  these  Samarian  women  are  thus  shaped, 
O  my  brave  captains,  let  not  one  be  slain  ! 
What  seekest  thou  within  the  hostile  tents 
Of  Asshur  ? 

JUDITH 

Holofernes. 

HOLOFERNES 

This  is  he. 

JUDITH,  throwing  herself  at  his  feet 

Most  mighty  prince  and  master,  if  indeed 
Thou  art  that  Holofernes  whom  I  seek, 
And  dread,  in  truth,  to  find,  see  at  thy  feet 
A  hapless  woman  who  in  fear  has  flown 
From  a  doomed  people. 


44  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  ACT  II 

HOLOFERNES 

If  thy  words  are  true, 

Thou  shalt  have  shelter  of  our  tents,  and  food, 
And  meet  observance,  though  our  enemy. 
Touching  thy  people,  they  with  tears  of  blood, 
And  ashes  on  their  heads,  shall  rue  the  hour 
They  paid  not  tribute  to  our  sovereign  lord, 
The  King  at  Nineveh.     But  thou  shalt  live. 

JUDITH,  rising 

O  gracious  prince,  I  do  beseech  thee  now 
Let  those  that  listen  stand  awhile  aloof, 
For  I  have  that  for  thine  especial  ear 
Of  import  to  thee. 

At  a  gesture  from  Holof ernes  the  captains  and  men-at- 
arms  retire,  making  different  exits.  Bagoas  lingers. 
Judith  with  a  quick  look  calls  the  attention  of  Holo- 
fernes  to  the  circumstance.  He  motions  to  Bagoas  to 
withdraw. 

My  lord,  if  yet  thou  holdest  in  thy  thought 
The  words  which  Achior  the  Ammonite 
Once  spoke  to  thee  concerning  Israel, 
Oh,  treasure  them,  for  in  them  was  no  guile. 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  45 

True  is  it,  master,  that  our  people  kneel 

To  an  unseen  but  not  an  unkno'wn  God, 

And  while  we  worship  Him  we  cannot  fall, 

Our  tabernacles  shall  be  unprofaned, 

Our  spears  invincible  j  but  if  we  sin, 

If  we  transgress  the  law  by  which  we  live, 

Our  sanctuaries  shall  be  desecrate, 

Our  tribes  thrust  forth  into  the  wilderness, 

Scourged  and  accursed.   Therefore,  O  my  lord, 

Seeing  my  nation  wander  from  the  faith 

Taught  of  the  Prophets,  I  have  fled  dismayed. 

HOLOFERNES,  partly  to  himself 

In  this  wise,  I  remember,  Achior  spoke, 
And  warned  me  not  to  meddle  with  the  Jews. 
I  banished  him,  and  straight  he  refuge  sought 
Among  the  Israelites,  who  gave  him  place 
And  honor  in  their  councils.   Now  his  sword 
Is  turned  against  us.   Hebrew,  weigh  thy  words  ! 

JUDITH 

Heed,  Holofernes,  what  I  speak  this  day, 
And  if  the  thing  I  tell  thee  prove  not  so, 
Let  not  thy  falchion  tarry  in  its  sheath, 


46  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  n 

But  seek  my  heart.    Why  should   thy  handmaid    * 

live, 
Having  deceived  thee,  flower  and  crown  of  men  ! 

HOLOFERNES,  aside 

This  woman's  voice  falls  sweeter  on  my  ear 
Than  the  soft  laughter  of  the  Assyrian  girls 
In  the  bazaars,  or  when  in  the  cool  night, 
After  the  sultry  heat  of  the  long  day, 
They  sit  beside  the  fountain  with  their  lutes. 

JUDITH 

Oh,  listen,  Holofernes,  my  sweet  lord, 
And  thou  shalt  rule  not  only  Bethulia, 
Rich  with  its  hundred  altars'  crusted  gold, 
But  CadeVBarne  and  Jerusalem, 
And  all  the  vast  hill-land  to  the  blue  sea. 
I  bring  to  thee  the  keys  of  Israel. 

HOLOFERNES 

Speak,  for  I  needs  must  hearken  to  thy  words. 

JUDITH 
Know  then,  O  prince,  it  is  our  yearly  use 

To  lay  aside  the  first  fruits  of  the  grain, 
And  so  much  oil,  so  many  skins  of  wine, 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  47 

Which,  being  sanctified,  are  held  intact 

For  the  High  Priests  who  serve  before  the  Lord 

In  the  great  temple  at  Jerusalem. 

This  holy  food —  which  even  to  touch  is  death  — 

The  people  would  lay  hands  on,  being  starved ; 

And  they  have  sent  a  runner  to  the  Priests 

(The  Jew  Abijah,  who,  at  dead  of  night, 

Sped  like  a  javelin  between  thy  guards), 

Begging  permit  to  eat  the  sacred  corn. 

'T  will  not  be  granted  them,  as  time  will  prove, 

Yet  will  they  eat  it.   Then  shalt  thou  behold 

The  archers  tumbling  headlong  from  the  walls, 

Their  strength  gone  from  them ;  thou  shalt  see  the 

spears 

Splitting  like  reeds  within  the  spearmen's  hands, 
And  the  strong  captains  tottering  like  old  men 
Stricken  with  palsy.     Then,  O  mighty  prince, 
Then  with  thy  trumpets  blaring  doleful  dooms, 
And  thy  proud  banners  waving  in  the  wind, 
With  squares  of  men  and  eager  clouds  of  horse 
Thou  shalt  sweep  down  on  them,  and  strike  them 

dead! 


48  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  ACT  II 

HOLOFERNES 

The  picture,  sorceress,  lives  before  my  eyes ! 

JUDITH 
But  now,  my  lord,  ere  this  shall  come  to  pass 

Five  days  must  wane,  for  they  touch  not  the  food 

Until  the  Jew  Abijah  shall  return 

With  the  Priests'  message.   Here  beneath  thy  tents, 

0  Holofernes,  would  I  dwell  the  while, 
Asking  but  this,  that  I  and  my  handmaid 
Each  night,  at  the  sixth  hour,  may  egress  have 
Into  the  valley,  undisturbed  to  pray. 

1  would  not  be  thy  prisoner,  but  thy  guest. 

HOLOFERNES 

Thou  shalt  be  free  to  come  and  go,  and  none 
Shall  stay  thee,  nor  molest  thee,  these  five  days. 
And  if,  O  rose  of  women,  the  event 
Prove  not  a  dwarf  beside  the  prophecy, 
Then  has  the  sun  not  looked  upon  thy  like. 
Thy  name  shall  be  as  honey  on  men's  lips ; 
Thou  shalt  have  chests  of  costly  sandal-wood, 
And  robes  in  texture  like  the  ring-dove's  neck, 
And  milk-white  mares,  and  chariots,  and  slaves ; 


SCENE  II       JUDITH    OF   BETHULIA  49 

And  thou  shalt  dwell  with  me  in  Nineveh, 
In  Nineveh,  the  City  of  the  Gods  ! 

JUDITH,  making  a  half  imperceptible  clutch  at  her  bosom 

Oh,  who  am  I  that  should  gainsay  my  lord  ? 

HOLOFERNES 

Bagoas  shall  wait  on  thee  ;  command  the  slave. 
Bid  him  fetch  fruit  and  meat  for  thy  repast. 

JUDITH 

It  is  not  lawful  we  should  eat  of  them. 
My  maid  has  brought  a  pouch  of  parched  corn, 
And  bread  and  figs  and  wine  of  our  own  land, 
Which  shall  not  fail  us. 

HOLOFERNES 

Even  as  thou  wilt, 

O  fair  Samarian  !     My  slave  shall  come 
To  do  thy  bidding. 

[Ho lof ernes  goes  out 
JUDITH 

O  Marah,  is  it  night,  and  do  I  dream  ? 
Is  this  the  dread  Assyrian  rumor  paints, 
He  who  upon  the  plains  of  Ragau  smote 
The  hosts  of  King  Arphaxad,  and  despoiled 


50  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  II 

Sidon  and  Tyrus,  and  left  none  unslain  ? 
Gentle  he  seems  we  thought  so  terrible, 
Whose  name  we  stilled  unruly  children  with 
At  bedtime  —  See  !  the  Bull  of  Asshur  comes  / 
And  all  the  little  ones  would  straight  to  bed. 

MARAH,  slowly 

Mistress,  he  looks  not  what  we  pictured  him. 

JUDITH 
Is  he  not  statured  as  should  be  a  king  ? 

Beside  our  tallest  captain  this  grave  prince 
Towers  like  the  palm  above  the  olive  tree. 
A  gentle  prince,  with  gracious  words  and  ways. 
How  sayest  thou  ? 

MARAH 

A  gentle  prince  he  is  — 
To  look  on.     I  misdoubt  his  ways  and  words. 

JUDITH 

And  I,  O  Marah,  I  would  trust  him  not ! 
Beneath  his  smoothness  all  is  cruelty. 
A  tiger's  talons  thus  are  shod  with  down. 

(Enter  Bagoas ;  Judith  perceives  /itm,  and  says  quickly) 

Marah,  he  waits  to  show  thee  to  the  tent. 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  51 

(Aside)    The  prince's   slave  —  his    shadow,   so  it 

seems. 
I  would  not  have  the  ill-will  of  this  man. 

Bagoas  relieves  Marah  of  the  basket  and  enters  the 
green  pavilion  with  her.  He  immediately  reappears, 
crossing  the  stage  behind  Judith.  She  observes  him 
attentively. 

Thy  lord,  Bagoas,  is  a  powerful  prince. 

BAGOAS,  coming  forward 

Men  fear  him  greatly. 

JUDITH 

And  thou  fearest  him  ? 

BAGOAS 

I  serve  him,  lady,  since  I  am  his  slave. 

JUDITH 

Now  thou  art  mine,  I  buy  thee  of  thyself 
With  coin  of  kindness  —  rarer  't  is  than  gold. 
Thy  speech  and  manner  seem  beyond  thy  state. 

BAGOAS 
In  my  own  land  I  was  less  humbly  placed. 

A  merchant  was  I,  but  a  scholar's  son, 

And  had  some  strain  of  learning  in  my  blood. 

I  travelled  in  far  lands  with  merchandise, 


52  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  II 

Lord  of  rich  caravans.     Then  came  a  war. 

From  Koordistan  he  brought  me  with  his  spoils, 

This  conqueror  of  cities,  slayer  of  men. 

I  pine  in  my  captivity,  and  dream 

Of  where  the  swift  Nerbudda  laves  its  banks 

And  one  sad  woman  waits  for  me  in  vain. 

The  gold  he  throws  me  in  his  lavish  moods 

I  hoard  to  pay  my  ransom. 

JUDITH,  taking  a  ring  from  her  finger 

Is  it  so  ? 
Here 's  that  shall  aid  thee  ;  add  it  to  thy  store. 

BAGOAS 

My  prayers  shall  go  with  thee  both  day  and  night. 

[He presses  the  ring  to  his  lips  as  he  goes  out 

i 

JUDITH 

At  least  he  will  not  be  an  enemy. 

(Muses) 

'T  was  not  so  evil  as  I  feared,  and  yet 

My  heart  is  cold  with  terror.     What  step  next  ? 

The  end  appalls  me.     A  black  precipice 

Yawns  at  my  feet  whichever  way  I  turn. 

I  am  like  one  that  a  magician's  wand 


SCENE  ii       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  53 

Hath  laid  a  spell  upon  j  I  neither  speak 

Nor  move  but  as  some  unseen  power  directs. 

I  seem  to  wander  in  a  land  of  dream 

And  walk  with  spectres.     As  a  skein  of  flax, 

Dropt  by  a  weaver  working  at  his  loom, 

Lies  in  a  tangle,  and  but  snarls  the  more, 

And  slips  the  ringers  searching  for  the  clue, 

So  all  my  plan  lies  tangled  in  my  brain. 

How  stands  the  matter  ?   I  have  gained  five  days 

In  which  to  act,  and  in  the  interval 

May  come  and  go  unchallenged  by  the  guard. 

Thus  far  God  lights  me.   All  the  rest  is  dark. 

Achior  abruptly  appears  at  the  remote  rear  of  the 
stage  —  same  entrance  as  Judith.  He  halts  irreso 
lutely,  glancing  back  over  his  shoulder,  as  if  he  were 
pursued.  Judith  turns  and  discovers  him.  She  rushes 
to  Achior  and  seizes  him  by  the  arm. 

Fly  from  this  place,  O  Achior,  here  is  death ! 

ACHIOR 

I  would  not  were  it  possible.   Unseen 
I  reached  the  inner  lines,  but  there  I  fell* 
Upon  two  Tartar  sentinels  asleep  ; 


54  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  11 

I  broke  their  slumber  and  they  gave  alarm. 
I  think  they  follow  closely  on  my  heels. 

JUDITH 

What  brings  thee  to  the  tents  of  Asshur? 

ACHIOR 

Thou! 
It  was  my  hope  to  be  thy  sword  and  shield. 

JUDITH 

I  was  not  in  thy  keeping,  reckless  man ! 
Thy  rashness  will  be  like  to  ruin  me. 

ACHIOR 
Deny  me  when  they  question.   I  will  swear 

I  never  knew  or  saw  thee  till  this  hour. 
Torture  shall  wring  no  other  word  from  me. 

JUDITH 

Too  late.   This  very  hour  I  spoke  of  thee 
To  Holofernes. 

ACHIOR 

*        Say,  then,  I  am  one 

Thy  scorn  has  withered,  that  my  wits  are  gone, 
And  that  I  vex  thee  with  my  vain  pursuit ; 
Then  bid  him  end  me. 

JUDITH 

Thou  indeed  art  mad. 


SCENE  II        JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  55 

Less  wise  than  daring,  see  how  thou  hast  rushed 
Headlong  on  failure  I 

Sounds  of  voices  and  clanking  arms  off  the  stage. 
Several  Tartar  soldiers  rush  in  and  secure  Achior. 
Holofernes  enters  from  the  opposite  side  attended  by 
Bagoas  bearing  flowers  and  palm  leaves  in  his  arms. 
Holofernes  on  seeing  Achior  starts  back  in  surprise, 
and  then  advances  with  a  cynical  smile  on  his  lips. 

HOLOFERNES 

Who  thus  honors  us  ? 
Unless  my  vision  tricks  me,  it  is  he, 
My  valorous  Captain  of  the  Ammonites, 
My  poet-soldier,  breaker  of  maids'  hearts, 
Harp-player  —  that  shall  play  upon  a  rack  ! 

JUDITH,  aside 

There  spoke  the  Holofernes  of  my  thought 

Holofernes  remains  silent  a  few  seconds,  glancing  from 
Judith  to  Achior  alternately,  and  finally  lets  his  gaze 
rest  upon  Judith. 

HOLOFERNES,  suspiciously 

Thou  know'st  this  man  ? 

JUDITH,  indifferently 

By  sight,  but  more  by  name. 
A  stranger's  face  is  his  among  the  Jews. 


56  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  n 

I  Ve  seen  him  on  the  streets  in  Bethulia. 
How  came  he  here  ? 

HOLOFERNES 

Perhaps  he  followed  thee. 

JUDITH,  playing  with  her  necklace 

I  want  him  not. 

HOLOFERNES 

Nor  I !    This  Ammonite 
Has  little  earthly  value,  it  appears  — 
A  kind  of  carrion  that  finds  no  bids 
Among  the  buyers  in  the  market-place. 
How  then  dispose  of  him  ?    Thou  dost  not  beg 
His  life  of  me  ? 

JUDITH 

Why  should  I,  lord  of  all? 
I  would  not  beg  of  thee  my  own  poor  life 
Were  that  at  issue. 

HOLOFERNES 

'T  were  an  empty  plea 
Hadst  thou  the  cause  to  make  it ! 

JUDITH,  to  herself 

We  are  lost ! 

HOLOFERNES 

Though  thou  wert  folded  in  my  very  heart. 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  57 

I  'd  tear  thee  out,  didst  thou  play  false  with  me ! 
I  '11  think  on  it.     Meanwhile  what  shall  be  done  ? 

JUDITH 

Do  what  thou  wilt,  O  sovereign  lord. 

HOLOFERNES 

Well  said! 
Thou  hast  a  cunning  fashion  in  thy  speech. 

( To  the  guard) 

Take  him  away,  and  as  thou  lovest  light, 
See  he  escape  not. 

(To  Achior  with  a  mock  air  of  deference) 

In  some  leisure  hour 
I  '11  crave  thy  company.  —  Out  of  my  sight ! 

(  To  Judith  tenderly) 

Lady,  I  bring  thee  flowers ! 

The  soldiers  prepare  to  drag  Achior  off,  one  of  them 
unclasping  a  belt  with  which  to  bind  him.  Judith 
stands  rigid  and  cold  in  the  centre  of  the  stage.  As 
Holofernes  offers  the  flowers  to  her,  he  looks  over  his 
shoulder  suspiciously  at  Achior.  Marah,  who  has 
partly  drawn  back  the  curtain  of  the  pavilion,  peers 
out  timidly  between  the  draperies. 

CURTAIN 


ACT   III 


ACT  III 

SCENE  i.  A  secluded  wood  near  the  Assyrian  camp. 
Early  twilight.  Judith  is  seated  on  the  trunk  of  a 
fallen  tree  arranging  wild  flowers  in  her  lap.  She 
has  discarded  the  ornaments  worn  in  Act  II,  a 
white  scarf  replacing  the  pearl  necklace;  her  cos 
tume  otherwise  the  same.  Marah  in  the  background 
holding  a  small  wicker  pannier  containing  lilies, 
ferns,  etc.  Holofernes  stands  a  pace  or  two  from 
Judith  regarding  her. 

HOLOFERNES 

FAIR  women  have  I  known,  but  never  one 
Like  unto  thee.     The  hour  I  see  thee  not 
Creeps  like  a  tortoise ;  but  when  thou  art  near, 
No  swiftest  sparrow  hath  such  wings  as  time. 

JUDITH 

Of  late,  my  lord,  my  ear  has  grown  unused 
To  terms  like  thine.    It  has  been  wont  to  hear 
Accents  of  grief  and  pain.    Thy  phrases  seem 
As  phrases  spoken  in  some  half-known  tongue. 


62  JUDITH   OF  EETHULIA         ACT  m 

HOLOFERNES 

Then  let  thy  wit  translate.    In  these  three  days 

Have  I  been  lessoned  by  thy  dignity, 

Thy  wisdom  and  thy  loveliness.    The  camp 

And  all  the  lordly  uses  of  my  state 

Have  lost  their  savor  and  significance. 

That  thou  shouldst  sit  and  hold  a  little  flower 

Between  thy  fingers,  toying  with  it  thus 

And  dropping  it,  of  more  importance  seems 

Than  some  affair  of  grave  diplomacy. 

(Sits  down  beside  her) 

At  dawn  I  say :  "  I  shall  again  behold 
This  daughter  of  Judea,  shall  hear  her  voice, 
And  catch,  mayhap,  a  softness  in  her  eyes." 
Translate  thou  that,  O  wise  Samarian ! 

JUDITH 

Some  lady  of  the  court  at  Nineveh 
Perchance  might  find  a  meaning. 

HOLOFERNES 

She  were  else 

No  woman  !   Tell  me  somewhat  of  thyself. 
Thou  art  a  widow  ? 


SCENE  i         JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  63 

JUDITH 
I  have  told  thee  that  — 

And  daughter  to  a  man  could  ransom  me. 


HOLOFERNES 

Not  though  he  were  the  richest  in  Judea ! 
How  long  wert  thou  a  wife  ? 

JUDITH 

One  year,  my  lord. 

HOLOFERNES 

And  widow? 

JUDITH 

Three. 

HOLOFERNES 

He  loved  thee  well  ? 

JUDITH 

O  prince, 
I  may  not  speak  of  this ! 

HOLOFERNES 

In  faith,  nor  I. 

There 's  matter  nearer ;  what  is  past  is  dead.  — 
Art  never  merry  ?    I  would  hear  thy  laugh. 
Sad  thou  art  not,  and  yet  methinks  thy  smiles 


64  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  m 

Are  rarer  than  a  miser's  charities. 

There  is  a  carven  image  of  a  sphinx, 

A  woman  and  a  lion  both  in  one, 

That  crouching  stares  across  the  empty  air 

With  face  mysterious,  neither  sad  nor  glad. 

Thou  mind'st  me  of  it,  though  thy  face  can  change. 

Three  noons  ago  thy  cheek  went  white  as  death 

At  sight  of  me.   Thou  dost  not  fear  me  now  ? 

JUDITH 
Not  now  as  then,  yet  I  have  fear,  O  prince 

HOLOFERNES 

Thou  shalt  unlearn  it.   Busy  tongues  of  men 
Have  much  misused  me  in  their  dull  report, 
And  made  my  name  a  terror  through  the  land. 
A  soldier's  falchion  sleeps  not  in  the  sheath ; 
But  when  these  wars  are  done  with  I  shall  hang 
My  helmet  in  a  garden  for  the  birds 
To  build  a  nest  in. 

JUDITH 

Thou  art  gentler  far 

Than  I  had  thought  thee. 


SCENE  i         JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  65 

HOLOFERNES 

My  grim  captains  here 
Would  smile  behind  their  beards,  could  they  but 

know 

What  soft  ambition  seizes  me  at  times 
Even  in  the  heat  and  tumult  of  debate  — 
A  longing  to  be  other  than  I  am, 
To  turn  my  back  on  all  this  pomp  of  war 
And  dwell  unknown,  in  some  untroubled  spot, 
With  wife  and  children,  dreaming  life  away 
Beneath  the  palms  and  my  Assyrian  sky. 

JUDITH 

This  earth,  my  lord,  holds  not  within  its  store 
Of  jewels,  crowns,  and  principalities 
A  thing  more  precious  than  thou  dreamest  of  — 
Peace  and  content,  and  love,  the  flower  of  life. 

HOLOFERNES 

An  idle  dream  that  weakens  valor's  arm. 
Meanwhile  that  nest  of  vipers  is  uncrushed ! 

(Starts  to  his  feef) 


66  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  ACT  m 

Were  I  much  longer  to  be  held  at  bay 
In  these  accursed  hills,  I  should  become 
The  savage  thing  men  paint  me.    But  the  end 
Approaches  near  —  my  plans  are  subtly  laid. 
Two  days  from  this,  unless  the  very  gods 
Take  arms  against  us,  Bethulia  falls. 

\He  -walks  up  the  stage 
JUDITH,  aside 

But  two  days  left  —  God  help  me  !   Life  or  death 
Lies  in  the  interval ! 

HOLOFERNES,  turning  sharply 

What  sayest  thou  ? 

JUDITH,  recovering  herself 

That  in  two  days,  my  lord,  it  will  be  shown 
Whether  or  no  I  am  true  prophetess. 

HOLOFERNES 

I  shall  have  kept  my  covenant,  and  now 
I  swear  no  harm  shall  touch  the  oracle, 

Though  she  prove  — 

Enter  Messenger 

MESSENGER,  kneeling 

Prince  and  master,  I  am  sent. 
The  council  waits  thy  presence,  gracious  lord. 


SCENE  i         JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  67 

HOLOFERNES,  impatiently 

Say  that  I  come.    I  had  forgotten  them! 
'T  was  I  myself  convoked  the  conference. 
These  wrangling  captains  give  me  little  rest. 
Straightway  I  come. 

[Exit  Messenger 

I  go  on  leaden  feet. 

I  leave  thee  as  a  reveller  leaves  his  cup, 
The  wine  unfinished.    So,  now,  fare  thee  well ! 

\Holofernes  goes  out 
JUDITH 

Amen  to  that,  say  I,  who  fare  so  ill, 
With  all  this  darkness  closing  in  on  me. 

MARAH,  coming  forward 

I  would,  dear  mistress,  we  might  not  return 
To  yonder  camp.     Rude  folk  for  such  as  thou, 
Those  long-haired  men  that  from  the  Tigris  come, 
And  they  that  stain  their  teeth  with  betel-nut  — 
Fire-worshippers  and  bowers-down  to  stone. 
Even  the  good  Bagoas  in  his  pack 
Hath  a  flint  image  that  he  mutters  to ! 

JUDITH 

And  I,  in  truth,  I  too  would  not  go  back ; 


68  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  in 

But  that  must  be,  my  mission  is  not  done. 
Not  long  our  exile  now.   Hast  left  behind 
Some  love-lorn  dark-eyed  youth  in  Bethulia  ? 
Here  in  the  summer  quiet  of  this  wood 
How  far  we  seem  from  that  distracted  town 
Wrapped  in  the  vapor  of  its  own  sick  breath ! 
Conscience  reproaches  me  that  I  have  found 
Some  transient  moments  of  forgetfulness 
Plucking  these  wild  flowers.   Twas  a  truce  with 

fate. 

Great  peril  threatens  us.   Would  thou  wert  safe  ! 
Cruel  was  I  to  drag  thee  in  this  coil ! 

MARAH 

What  danger  threatens  that  I  would  not  share 
With  thee,  sweet  mistress  ? 

JUDITH 

Ah,  thou  know'st  not  all. 
To-night,  when  slumber  has  sealed  every  ear, 
I  '11  tell  thee  what  dark  embassy  is  mine 
And  what  fell  doom  upon  disaster  waits. 
Then,  if  thou  waver,  still  is  time  to  fly 
And  save  thee. 

(Rises  to  her  feet,  and  listens} 


SCENE  I        JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  69 

Hark !  some  foot  of  man  or  beast 
Has  crushed  a  dry  twig  in  the  thicket  there  ! 

Bagoas  enters  hurriedly 

BAGOAS 
Lady,  I  bring  a  message  from  my  lord 

Sitting  in  council  with  the  captains  now. 

The  prince  commands  that  thou  shalt  feast  with 

him 
This  night,  and  bade  me  lead  thee  to  his  tent. 

JUDITH 

O  Marah,  see !  my  lord  keeps  not  his  word. 
He  is  as  those  false  jewellers  who  change 
A  rich  stone  for  a  poorer  —  when  none  looks. 
Five  days  he  promised,  and  but  three  are  gone, 
And  now  he  begs  me  come  to  sup  with  him  ! 

MARAH 

No  choice  hast  thou,  alas ! 

JUDITH 

One  needs  must  go  — 

When  kings  invite.   The  master's  will  is  mine. 
Such  gloom  has  touched  me  lately,  I  would  fain 
Know  mirthfulness.    I  jest,  for  in  my  heart 


70  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA          ACT  m 

There  lurks  an  unnamed  terror.     O  Bagoas  ! 
He  would  not  slay  me  in  some  sudden  freak  ? 

(Bagoas  shrugs  his  shoulders) 

Does  he  wear  arms  when  supping  ? 

BAGOAS 

No,  he  hangs 

His  falchion  on  a  peg  within  the  tent ; 
Dagger  he  hath  none. 

JUDITH,  softly  to  herself 

God  be  thanked  for  that.  .  .  . 
Upon  a  peg  within  the  tent !     (Reflects)     Bagoas  ! 

BAGOAS 

What  wouldst  thou  have,  my  lady  ? 


JUDITH 

Dost  thou  serve 


The  prince  to-night  ? 


BAGOAS 

He  has  so  ordered  it. 

JUDITH 
Take  it  not  ill  if  I  persuade  my  lord 

To  do  without  thy  service  by  and  by, 
Leaving  thee  free  to  go  what  way  thou  wilt. 


SCENE  I         JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  71 

T  would  please  my  humor  just  for  once  to  play 
Cup-bearer  to  the  prince,  and  fetch  him  drink 
In  that  great  chalice  thou  hast  told  me  of. 
And  should  I  find  him  in  a  gracious  mood, 
As  often  men  are  between  cups  of  wine, 
I  '11  breathe  a  word  for  thee  into  his  ear. 

MA  RAH,  aside 

My  mistress  plans  to  be  alone  with  him ! 

B  AGO  AS,  with  a  quick  glance  at  Judith 

No  slave  had  ever  such  petitioner. 

If  thou  but  smile,  thou  'It  have  no  need  to  speak ; 

Thy  suit,  unspoken,  will  be  granted  thee. 

MARAH,  aside 

I  would  that  we  were  gone  from  here. 

JUDITH 

But  hold ! 

Perhaps  my  lord  has  other  guests  at  hand, 
And  thou  must  still  remain  to  wait  on  them. 

BAGOAS 
My  lord's  musicians  and  his  dancing-girls  — 

He  brings  such  in  his  train  —  may  come  awhile 
For  thy  divertisement.    No  other  guests. 


72  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  m 

JUDITH 
That  will  content  me  better. 

BAGOAS,  hesitating 

May  I  speak  ? 

JUDITH 

A  friend's  ear  listens  to  thee ;  speak. 

BAGOAS 

This  night 

Thou  standest  in  great  danger.   My  lord's  eyes 
Are  ravished  with  thy  beauty  —  fatal  gift ! 
His  love  is  pitiless.   (Pauses)   Should  it  so  turn 
That  he,  before  he  hath  drunk  deep  of  wine, 
Should  fall  into  a  drowse,  then  thou  wert  safe 
For  that  time  being. 

JUDITH 

Does  wine  make  him  sleep  ? 

BAGOAS,  significantly 

Some  wine  might  make  him. 

JUDITH,  eagerly 

What  is  in  thy  thought  ? 

BAGOAS 

I  had  an  illness  once ;  sleep  fled  my  lids 
Till  I  went  mad  with  wakefulness.   A  man 


SCENE  i         JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  73 

Of  Koordistan,  well  skilled  in  subtle  drugs, 
Gave  me  a  medicine  that  cured  the  ill, 
And  taught  me  to  compound  it. 

JUDITH,  quickly 

Hast  thou  this  ? 

(Bagoas  nods  his  head  affirmatively) 

Then  give  it  me  ! 

BAGOAS,  handing  her  a  minute  metal  box,  which  he  holds 
bet-ween  forefinger  and  thumb 

A  dozen  grains  or  so, 

Dropt  in  a  drink,  will  straightway  dull  the  sense 
And  bring  a  gentle  slumber  presently. 
'T  is  not  a  poison. 

JUDITH,  placing  the  box  in  her  bosom 

Would  it  were  —  that  I, 

At  need,  might  take  it.   Though  it  all  prove  naught, 
I  am  beholden  to  thee. 

(  With  an  affectionate  gesture  she  gives  her  hand  to  Bagoas,  -who 
kisses  it  respectfully} 

Tell  me,  now, 
How  fares  it  with  the  Ammonite  ? 


74  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA          ACT  m 

BAGOAS 

He  has 

Such  faring  as  a  fox  within  a  trap  — 
Caught  but  not  killed. 

JUDITH 

What  harder  lies  in  store  ? 

BAGOAS 

I  think  my  lord  intends  to  take  him  back 
To  Nineveh. 

JUDITH 

That  were  not  well  for  him  ? 

BAGOAS 

Most  ill,  my  lady. 

JUDITH 

And  how  bears  he  this  ? 

BAGOAS 

As  one  that  has  looked  peril  in  the  face 
By  field  and  flood  on  many  a  desperate  day, 
And  so  disdains  it.   At  the  first  my  lord 
Questioned  him  keenly,  being  much  perplexed 
That  one  same  hour  should  bring  ye  both  to  camp. 
The  prince  suspected  —  I  know  not  just  what. 


SCENE  i         JUDITH    OF   BETHULIA  75 

JUDITH 
And  now  ? 

BAGOAS 

He  doubts  not  that  the  Ammonite 
And  thou  are  strangers. 

JUDITH 

He  has  ventured  life 
For  me,  Bagoas  1   If  the  chance  befell 
That  thou  couldst  loose  the  latchet  of  his  trap, 
Wouldst  thou  not  do  it  ? 

BAGOAS 

For  thy  sake  I  would. 

But  't  will  not  happen. 

JUDITH 

Heaven  is  over  all. 
Strange  things  ere  now  have  happened  in  Judea ! 

(Pauses) 

O  I  must  speak,  Bagoas  !  Stand  apart 

A  moment,  Marah.   (Hurriedly)    Come  what  will,  I 

speak ! 

Dark  powers,  invisible  ministers  of  air, 
Led  my  feet  hither,  wherefore  I  knew  not 


76  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  m 

At  first,  then  presently  I  understood. 
Two  days  from  now  'tis  planned  to  storm  the  town 
And  put  those  helpless  people  to  the  sword. 

BAGOAS 
Such  rumor  fills  the  camp.    I  think  it  true. 

JUDITH 

One  thing  alone  may  stay  this  massacre. 
BAGOAS 

Whose  hand   may  stay   the   Prince   of    Asshur's 
hand? 

JUDITH 

God's ! 

BAGOAS 

What  thou  speakest  is  not  plain  to  me. 
Thy  God 's  a  mystery. 

JUDITH 

There  is  that  to  do 

Blanches  the  cheek  and  frightens  sleep  away. 
Across  my  heart  in  characters  of  fire 
A  mortal  doom  is  written.    Before  dawn 
The  prince  must  die  !  —  See  how  I  trust  in  thee ! 


SCENE  i         JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  77 

BAGOAS 

Wouldst  have  me  strike  him  as  he  sits  at  meat  ? 
Command  me,  I  will  do  it. 

JUDITH 

Nay,  in  this 

T  is  I  alone  must  act,  O  man  of  men ! 
O  lion  heart !   Yet  I  do  beg  of  thee 
A  no  less  heavy  service.   Should  I  fail, 
Through  fault  of  nerve  or  some  undreamed  mishap, 
And  in  the  doing  find  myself  undone, 
Swear  by  the  love  thou  bearest  her  who  waits 
Thy  coming  in  those  far-off  lands,  O  swear 
That  thou  wilt  plant  thy  dagger  in  my  breast 
Though  thou  fall  dead  beside  me. 
BAGOAS 

In  my  mind 

Such  purpose  stirred  ere  thou  didst  give  it  words. 

JUDITH 

Then  has  God  sent  thee !   I  draw  breath  again. 
Let 's  on ;  I  must  make  ready  for  my  lord. 

(Motions  to  Mar  ah  and  Bagoas  to  f  recede  her} 

(Aside)  He  said  —  upon  a  peg  within  the  tent ! 

Dark  stage  and  change  of  scene 


78  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA          ACT  III 


SCENE  II.  The  tent  of  Holofernes.  A  large  blue 
pavilion  set  diagonally  across  the  left  rear  corner  of 
the  stage.  The  entrance,  which  is  very  wide,  hung 
with  embroidered  draperies,  now  drawn  back.  Within, 
a  lighted  cresset  depends  from  the  ceiling  ;  near  the 
doorway,  and  nearly  blocking  it,  a  low  couch  placed 
at  an  angle.  At  the  right  and  left  of  the  tent,  outside, 
is  a  small  stand  upon  which  slaves  are  arranging 
flasks  of  wine,  chalices,  and  dishes  of  food,  fruit,  etc., 
as  the  curtain  rises.  Among  the  overhanging  boughs 
of  trees  glimmer  lanterns  of  colored  glass-work,  and 
slender  tripods  supporting  cups  of  burning  perfume 
stretch  in  a  line  on  either  side  of  the  stage.  The 
scene  softly  illuminated. 

Holofernes  discovered  seated  on  a  long  bench  or  settle, 
over  which  is  spread  a  leopard  skin.  Behind  this  is 
his  shield,  fastened  to  the  shaft  of  a  javelin  thrust 
into  the  ground.  From  the  boss  of  the  shield  glares 
a  green  and  gold  dragon  rampant.  The  slaves  retire. 

HOLOFERNES 

All  day  have  I  been  haunted  by  a  dream 
That  in  the  breathless  middle  of  the  night 
Robbed  sleep  of  its  refreshment.     In  my  thought 


SCENE  II       JUDITH  OF   BETHULIA  79 

I  found  myself  in  a  damp  catacomb 

Searching  by  torchlight  for  my  own  carved  name 

On  a  sarcophagus ;  and  as  I  searched, 

A  file  of  wailing  shapes  drew  slowly  near  — 

The  hates  and  passions  of  my  early  youth 

Become  substantial  and  immortal  things 

With  tongues  to  blazon  forth  each  hidden  crime. 

Then  terror  fell  upon  me,  who  have  known 

Neither  remorse  nor  terror,  and  I  woke. 

(Rises  dejectedly  from  the  settle) 

The  dream  still  frets  me,  still  unstrings  my  heart. 
Is  it  an  omen  sent  me  by  the  gods  ? 
Such  things  foretell  the  doom  of  fateful  men, 
Stars,  comets,  apparitions  hint  their  doom. 
The  night  before  my  grandsire  got  his  wound 
In  front  of  Memphis,  and  therewith  was  dead, 
He  dreamed  a  lying  Ethiop  he  had  slain 
Was  strangling  him ;  and,  later,  my  own  sire 
Saw  death  in  a  red  writing  on  a  leaf. 
And  I  too.  .  .  . 

( Throws  himself  ufon  the  settle) 

Oh,  I  am  ill  and  troubled  in  the  mind. 


8o  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  m 

That  Hebrew  woman  shall  beguile  my  gloom. 
The  hour  should  bring  her,  if  she  have  not  fled. 
By  what  sly  necromancy  was  I  won 
To  give  her  unwatched  freedom  in  the  camp ! 
Should  she  not  come !  —  I  sigh  in  saying  it, 
As  though  she  were  a  part  of  all  my  life, 
This  woman  I  have  looked  on  but  three  days ! 

Judith  enters,  attended  by  Marah  and  Bagoas.  As  they 
step  beyond  the  wings,  Judith  turns  quickly  and  lays 
her  hand  on  Marah 's  arm. 

JUDITH,  in  a  low,  hurried  voice 

No  further,  thou.     Go  hide  thee  in  the  wood 
Hard  by,  and  when  I  call  unto  thee  come, 
And  do  the  thing  I  bade  thee.     Fail  me  not ! 

MARAH,  lingering ,  pretends  to  arrange  Judith's  robe 

I  shall  not  fail  thee,  thou  adorable  ! 

\Marah  goes  out 

Judith,  her  manner  indicating  suppressed  agitation,  ad 
vances  to  the  centre  and  bends  low  before  Holofernes, 
who  rises  quickly,  and  taking  Judith  by  the  hand,  leads 
her  to  the  settle. 

HOLOFERNES 

The  course  has  wearied  thee,  so  rest  thee  here, 
O  Heart's  Desire,  upon  this  leopard  skin. 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  81 

From  out  the  jungle  by  the  Ganges'  side 
The  creature  leapt  on  me  j  and  now  I  bear 
The  trophy  ever  with  me  in  my  wars  — 
A  kind  of  talisman.     Meanwhile  it  makes 
A  throne  whereon  a  haughty  queen  might  sit. 

Judith,  in  dumb-show,  declines  the  proffered  seat,  and 
begins  to  remove  the  mantle  which  covers  her  from 
head  to  foot.  She  throws  it  over  the  back  of  the 
settle. 

JUDITH 

No  queen  am  I,  but  only  thy  handmaid. 

HOLOFERNES 

Ere  now  a  handmaid  has  become  a  queen. 

JUDITH 
To  serve  thee  is  to  reign.    I  keep  my  state, 

And  am  most  jealous  of  my  servitude. 
This  night,  O  prince,  no  other  slave  than  I 
Shall  wait  on  thee  with  meat  and  fruit  and  wine, 
And  fetch  the  scented  water  for  thy  hands, 
And  spread  the  silvered  napkin  on  thy  knee. 
So  subtle  am  I,  I  shall  know  thy  wish 
Ere  thou  canst  speak  it.  Let  Bagoas  go 
This  night  among  his  people,  save  he  fear 


82  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  in 

To  lose  his  place  and  wage,  through  some  one  else 
More  trained  and  skilful  showing  his  defect. 

HOLOFERNES,  turning  to  Bagoas 

Thou  nearest,  O  Bagoas,  what  she  says  ? 
Another  hath  usurped  thee.   Get  thee  gone, 
Son  of  the  midnight !   But  stray  not  from  camp, 
Lest  the  lean  tiger-whelps  should  break  their  fast, 
And  thou  forget  I  must  be  waked  at  dawn. 

BAGOAS 

I  hear,  O  prince. 

HOLOFERNES 

And  send  us  presently 
The  Arab  girls  and  him  that  plays  the  lute. 

BAGOAS,  aside  as  he  goes  out 

Poor  lady,  in  her  whiteness  how  she  looks 
Like  some  rare  idol  that  a  conqueror 
Tears  from  its  niche,  in  pillaging  a  town, 
And  sets  among  the  trappings  of  his  tent. 

( Under  his  breath) 

Fear  not,  O  prince.    I  shall  not  stray  from  camp  ! 

While  Holofernes  divests  himself  of  his  breastplate  and 
hangs  his  falchion  on  a  peg  inside  the  tent,  Judith 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  83 

goes  to  one  of  the  tables,  and  standing  with  her  back 
to  him,  but  in  a  position  that  enables  her  action  to 
be  observed  by  the  audience,  fills  a  flagon  with  wine, 
into  which  she  hastily  drops  the  contents  of  the  little 
metal  box  given  to  her  by  Bagoas. 

JUDITH,  aside 

O  Thou  who  lovest  Israel,  give  me  strength 
And  cunning  such  as  never  woman  had, 
That  my  deceit  may  be  his  stripe  and  scar, 
My  kiss  his  swift  destruction  !    If  the  drug 
Work  not  its  magic  on  him,  then  —  what  then  ! 

Judith  returns  to  the  settle,  and,  kneeling,  presents  the 
cup  to  Holofernes.   Holofernes  drinks. 

HOLOFERNES 

Richer  the  wine  is  for  those  slender  hands 
And  that  gold  bangle  slipping  down  the  wrist. 
Now   sit  by  me.   (She  obeys)    Cup-bearer,  hold  the 

cup. 

What  a  rare  slave  thou  art ! 
A  helmet  heaped  with  pearls,  i'  the  market-place, 
Could  buy  thee  not  from  me.    How  shall  I  make 
Thy  chains    seem  lighter?     Our  chance-builded 

camp 


84  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  in 

Has  little  entertainment  in  its  stores  ; 

But  I  have  brought  my  troop  of  dancing-girls 

From  Nineveh,  and  they  shall  dance  for  us, 

And  one  among  them,  that  has  voice,  shall  sing 

A  love-song  that  a  Persian  poet  made 

Before  I  slew  him  for  a  halting  verse. 

JUDITH 

Surely  thou  didst  not  slay  a  man  for  that ! 

HOLOFERNES 

Lady,  it  was  a  very  grievous  fault. 

Who  cheats  in  weights  or  measures  merits  death. 

The  Medes  and  Persians  have  it  in  their  laws. 

Enter  a  troop  of  Arab  girls,  with  a  clash  of  cymbals. 
They  prostrate  themselves  before  Judith  and  Holo- 
fernes,  and  then  fall  to  dancing.  Slaves  place  a  small 
round  table  near  the  settle  and  bring  a  dish  of  fruit,  a 
flask  of  wine,  and  two  flagons.  Holofernes  and  Judith 
eat  and  converse  in  pantomime,  he  insisting  from 
time  to  time  on  her  drinking  from  his  cup,  which  she 
constantly  refills.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  dance  the 
Arab  girls  again  prostrate  themselves.  While  they 
are  retiring,  a  soft  music,  chiefly  from  stringed  instru 
ments,  is  heard,  and  these  verses  are  sung  by  a  single 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  85 

voice  behind  the  scenes.  Hole-femes  rests  an  elbow 
on  one  knee,  and  supporting  his  chin  on  his  hand, 
listens  stolidly  to  the  song. 

O  cease,  sweet  music,  let  us  rest .' 
Too  soon  the  hateful  day  is  born  ; 
Henceforth  let  day  be  counted  night, 
And  midnight  called  the  morn. 

O  cease,  sweet  music,  let  us  rest ! 
A  tearful,  languid  spirit  lies, 
Like  the  dim  scent  in  violets, 
In  beauty's  gentle  eyes. 

There  is  a  sadness  in  sweet  sound 
That  quickens  tears.   O  music,  lest 
We  weep  with  thy  soft  sorrow,  cease  ! 
Be  still,  and  let  us  rest 

JUDITH,  aside 

A  strange  new  look  has  crept  into  his  face. 

He  listened  to  the  music  as  a  man 

That  strains  his  ear  to  catch  some  distant  sound 

Whose  meaning  baffles  him.  —  What  is 't,  my  lord  ? 

HOLOFERNES 

Thy  coming  chased  the  blackness  of  my  day, 
But  now  the  heaviness  that  clouded  me 
Has  come  again. 


86  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA          ACT  in 

JUDITH 

The  music  saddened  thee. 

HOLOFERNES 

Not  so.   I  am  not  fashioned  like  a  harp 

That  some  chance  touch  may  sadden  or  make  glad. 

(Rises  from  the  settle) 

That  pungent  scent  of  burning  sandal-wood, 

(Puts  his  hand  vaguely  to  his  forehead) 

Or  the  dull  opiate  of  those  wilted  flowers, 
Or  some  malignant  influence  of  the  night 
Hath  drowsed  me.   Let  me  rest  upon  the  couch 
A  moment ;  it  will  pass. 

They  enter  the  tent  together. 

JUDITH 

Lie  there,  my  prince, 
I  will  keep  watch  and  ward. 

Holof ernes  reclines  upon  the  couch,  propping  himself 
on  one  elbow.  He  points  to  a  low  tabouret  at  the 
side  of  the  couch. 

HOLOFERNES 

And  sit  thou  here, 
Thou  of  the  dove's  eyes  and  the  proud  swan's  throat. 


SCENE  II       JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  87 

Thy  tresses  give  out  odors  of  the  rose. 
Thy  breath  upon  my  cheek  is  as  the  air 
Blown  from  a  far-off  grove  of  cinnamon. 
Fairer  art  thou  than  is  the  night's  one  star  — 
(Smiling)  Thou  makest  me  a  poet  with  thine  eyes ! 

He  puts  one  arm  around  her  neck  and  gently  draws  her 
head  to  his  breast.  Judith  rests  there  motionless  for 
a  moment,  then  slowly  disengages  herself  and  rises 
to  her  feet  with  a  dazed,  troubled  look.  In  a  second 
or  two  she  recovers  herself,  and  stooping  picks  up  the 
flagon,  which  has  fallen  to  the  floor  of  the  tent. 

JUDITH 

Sweet  prince,  I  have  forgot  mine  office.     See, 
The  flagon 's  empty  !   I  '11  go  fetch  thee  wine. 

She  hurries  out,  and  sets  the  cup  on  a  table,  resting  one 
hand  on  the  edge  of  it,  the  other  hand  pressed  against 
her  heart. 

Oh,  save  me,  Lord,  from  that  dark  cruel  prince, 
And  from  mine  own  self  save  me !  for  this  man, 
A  worshipper  of  senseless  carven  gods, 
Slayer  of  babes  upon  the  mother-breast, 
He,  even  he,  hath  by  some  conjurer's  trick, 
Or  by  his  heathen  beauty,  in  me  stirred 


88  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  ill 

Such  pity  as  unnerves  the  lifted  hand. 
Oh,  let  not  my  hand  fail  me,  in  Thy  name  ! 

(She  returns  to  the  tent  with  wine) 

Drink  this,  my  lord. 

HOLOFERNES 

In  the  full  compass  of  my  thirty  years 

•K 

At  no  one  time  have  I  so  drunk  of  wine. 

Holof ernes,  who  has  fallen  back  on  the  cushions,  raises 
himself  with  effort  on  his  elbow.  He  passes  his  arm 
around  Judith's  waist  and  constrains  her  to  sit  down 
on  the  edge  of  the  couch.  Then  takes  the  cup  and 
drinks. 

Sweet  vision,  't  is  a  medicine  that  cures, 
Grief  will  it  cure  and  every  ill,  save  love. 
Who  first  did  think  to  press  it  from  the  grape  ? 
Art  going  ?   Nay,  I  know  thou  hast  not  stirred. 

(Confusedly) 

I  am  the  plaything  of  vain  fantasies. 
Voices  are  calling  through  a  mist.    I  hear 
The  clang  of  shields  somewhere  far-off,  and  see 
The  shapes  of  men  and  horses  marching  by  — 
O  shadows,  dreams,  and  visions,  let  me  be ! 


SCENE  ii       JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA  89 

Holofernes  sinks  back  on  the  cushions,  his  arm  slips 
from  his  breast,  and  the  flagon,  which  he  has  retained 
in  his  grasp,  clashes  on  the  floor.  Judith  rises,  star 
tled,  and  looks  at  him  with  curious  intentness  for  a 

few  seconds. 

JUDITH 

My  lord  ?  ...  He  sleeps  !  .  .  .   Unending  be  his 
dream ! 

She  advances  a  step  outside  the  tent,  grasping  the  folds 
of  the  looped  curtain  in  one  hand,  then  turns  and  gazes 
upon  Holofernes. 

The  ignoble  slumber  that  has  fettered  him 

Robs  not  his  pallid  brow  of  majesty 

Nor  from  the  curved  lip  takes  away  the  scorn. 

(Lets  the  curtain  fall  across  the  entrance  to  the  tent} 

Bagoas  shall  not  awaken  him  at  dawn  ! 

(Pauses) 

0  broken  sword  of  proof !   O  prince  betrayed  ! 
In  me  he  trusted,  he  who  trusted  none  ! 

(Pauses  again) 

1  did  not  longer  dare  to  look  on  him, 

Lest  I  should  lose  my  reason  through  my  eyes. 
This  man  —  this  man,  had  he  been  of  my  race, 
And  I  a  maiden,  and  we  two  had  met  — 


90  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA          ACT  in 

What  visions  mock  me !   Some  ancestral  sin 
Hath  left  a  taint  of  madness  in  my  brain. 
Were  I  not  I,  I  would  unbind  my  hair 
And  let  the  tresses  cool  his  fevered  cheek, 
And  take  him  in  my  arms  —    Oh,  am  I  mad  ? 
Yonder  the  watch-fires  flare  upon  the  walls, 
Like  red  hands  pleading  to  me  through  the  dark ; 
There  famished  women  weep,  and  have  no  hope. 
The  moan  of  children  moaning  in  the  streets 
Tears  at  my  heart.     O  God !  have  I  a  heart  ? 
Why  do  I  falter  !     (Kneeling)    Thou  that  rulest  all, 
Hold  not  Thy  favor  from  me  that  I  seek 
This  night  to  be  Thy  instrument !   Dear  Lord, 
Look  down  on  me,  a  widow  of  Judea, 
A  feeble  thing  unless  Thou  sendest  strength  ! 
A  woman  such  as  I  slew  Sisera. 
The  hand  that  pierced  his  temples  with  a  nail 
Was  soft  and  gentle,  like  to  mine,  a  hand 
Moulded  to  press  a  babe  against  her  breast ! 
Thou  didst  sustain  her.     Oh,  sustain  Thou  me, 
That  I  may  free  Thy  chosen  from  their  chains  !  — 
Each  sinew  in  my  body  turns  to  steel, 


SCENE  ii        JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  91 

My  pulses  quicken,  I  no  longer  fear  ! 
My  prayer  has  reached  Him,  sitting  there  on  high  ! 
The  hour  is  come  I  dreamed  of  !     This  for  thee, 
O  Israel,  my  people,  this  for  thee  ! 

Soft  orchestral  music.  Judith  rushes  wildly  into  the 
tent,  closing  the  hangings  behind  her.  The  boom  of 
a  gong  is  heard  and  a  sentinel  near  by  cries  :  "  Mid 
night  !  Midnight !  All  is  well !  "  A  second  sentinel, 
further  off,  takes  up  the  cry,  which  is  repeated  by  a 
third  in  the  remote  distance.  Marah  and  Bagoas, 
with  anxious  faces,  are  observed  at  the  right-hand 
middle  entrance.  Marah  crosses  the  stage,  picks  up 
Judith's  mantle,  and  takes  a  position  near  Bagoas. 
A  sound  like  that  of  a  falling  body,  accompanied  by  a 
muffled  exclamation  from  Judith,  is  heard  inside  the 
tent.  Enter  Assyrian  Captain,  who  halts  abruptly, 
and  listens. 

ASSYRIAN   CAPTAIN 

What  noise  was  that  within  ? 

( To  Bagoas) 

Art  stricken  dumb  ? 

Some  ill,  perhaps,  hath  happened  to  the  Prince. 
Art  turned  to  stone?  Go  to  thy  master,  slave  ! 
Myself  will  go. 

[Advances  towards  the  tent 


92  JUDITH  OF  BETHULIA          ACT  m 

BAGOAS,  intercepting  him 

Not  thou,  ill-fated  man  ! 

(Seizes  the  captain  by  the  shoulder  and  stabs  him) 

An  evil  star  it  was  that  led  thee  here ! 

ASSYRIAN  CAPTAIN,  clutching  at  the  air  as  he  falls 

What  dog  is  this  has  bitten  me  to  death  ? 

(Faintly)  O  thou  vile  slave,  had  I  suspected  thee.  .  . 

[Dies 

Judith  violently  thrusts  the  draperies  aside  and  appears 
grasping  an  unsheathed  falchion,  which  she  flings 
from  her. 

JUDITH  to  Marah 

'T  is  done  !  Do  thou ! 

Marah  goes  into  the  tent  and  immediately  emerges, 
bearing  the  head  of  Holofernes  enveloped  in  the  man 
tle.  Judith,  who  has  stood  motionless  with  both  hands 
pressed  against  her  eyes  as  if  to  shut  out  some  ap 
palling  spectacle,  turns  and  discovers  Bagoas  on  the 
extreme  left  crouching  over  the  body  of  the  captain. 
She  starts  back  at  the  sight. 

BAGOAS 

Quick,  let  the  black  night  swallow  thee !   Begone  ! 
Marah  seizes  Judith  by  the  wrist.    The  two  are  seen  in 
the  act  of  taking  flight  as  the  curtain  descends. 
QUICK  CURTAIN 


ACT   IV 


ACT  IV 

(Pour  days  later) 

The  market-place  in  Bethulia.  Far  back  on  the  right, 
the  entrance  to  the  great  synagogue  ;  the  long  flight 
of  gradually  ascending  steps  leading  to  the  portals 
crowded  with  spectators.  Garlands  and  cloths  of 
gold  and  purple  tissues  hang  from  the  windows  of 
the  houses  facing  on  three  sides  of  the  quadrangle, 
In  the  centre  of  the  square,  a  platform  two  or  three 
feet  in  height  supports  a  large  antique  chair  richly 
draped.  With  the  exception  of  the  space  surround 
ing  the  dais,  the  stage  is  slowly  filled  up  by  people 
of  every  condition. 

Enter  Nathan  and  Joachim  conversing  excitedly. 

NATHAN 
WAS  it  not  wonderful !     O  day  of  days  ! 

The  Ammonite,  held  captive,  saw  it  all. 
It  thrills  the  blood  to  hear  him  tell  of  it. 
When  they  discovered  Holofernes  slain 
And  lying  headless  'mid  the  tapestries, 
A  sudden  silence  fell  upon  the  camp, 
And  all  the  people  stood  like  blocks  of  stone 


96  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  iv 

In  some  deserted  quarry  ;  then  a  voice 
Blown  through  a  trumpet  clamored  :  He  is  dead! 
The  Prince  is  dead!     The  Hebrew  witch  hath  slain 
Prince  Holof ernes  !    Fly,  Assyrians,  fly  ! 
On  this  a  panic  seized  the  Asshur  hosts  j 
They  broke  and  fled  from  that  strong  mountain- 
hold, 

Leaving  their  arms,  their  chariots,  and  their  tents, 
Even  the  camels  tethered  at  the  stake  ! 
Our  children's  children  shall  be  told  this  tale. 

JOACHIM 

Three  days  and  nights  at  point  of  our  red  spears 
The  cohorts  scattered.  Such  as  know  not  death 
Are  safe  now  in  Damascus,  or  beyond. 

NATHAN 

Twas  Achior  led  the  horsemen.   It  is  said 
A  man  he  made  a  friend  of  in  the  camp 
Set  Achior  free. 

JOACHIM 

That  in  effect  is  true  — 
A  captive  Holofernes  held  in  thrall 


SCENE  I        JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  97 

As  slave.   That  gaunt  and  swarthy-visaged  man 
Who  follows  Achior  everywhere  is  he. 

NATHAN,  meditatively 

To  think  a  woman  did  it !   Day  of  days ! 
Yet  is  not  Judith  made  of  tenderness  ? 
I  saw  her  stoop  once  in  the  crowded  street 
To  kiss  a  sickly  child  the  mother  held. 

JOACHIM 
A  warrior's  soul,  a  woman's  heart !    I  hear 

That  she  has  begged  the  Patriarchs  to  remove 
The  head  of  Holofernes  from  the  lance 
On  which  't  is  set  above  the  Eastern  Gate. 

NATHAN,  still  meditative 

Such  pity  meetly  crowns  the  daring  act. 

I  wonder,  now,  the  peril  being  past 

And  all  her  pulses  stilled,  if  in  her  thought 

There  is  not  some  vague,  nameless  sense  of  dread 

Of  her  own  self  that  could  do  such  a  deed ! 

JOACHIM 
O  Nathan,  son  of  Paul,  thou  ever  wert 

A  splitter  of  fine  hairs !   Had  she  not  slain 
That  monster  in  his  hour  of  victory, 


98  JUDITH   OF  BETHULIA          ACT  iv 

Making  his  pride  to  bite  the  very  dust, 
What  had  become  of  thee,  and  all  of  us ! 

NATHAN 

True !  —  through  God's  grace  and  that  one  woman's 

hand 

The  tombs  and  temples  of  Judea  were  saved. 
I  would  not  look  good  fortune  in  the  teeth, 
But  somehow  the  event  breeds  thoughts  in  me. 

JOACHIM 

It  were  more  wholesome  to  have  fewer,  man  ! 
I  trust  thou  hast  not  spoken  much  of  this. 

NATHAN 

Do  I  look  like  a  fool  ? 

JOACHIM 

No,  no,  good  friend  — 
That 's  what  astonishes  !    But  say  no  more. 
This  hour  comes  Judith  to  the  market-place, 
Where  a  glad  people  fain  would  honor  her 
With  pipe  and  timbrel  and  the  heart's  acclaim. 
See  what  a  mighty  throng  has  gathered  here ! 

[Nathan  and  Joachim  stand  aside 
Enter  Bagoas  and  Achior. 


SCENE  I        JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  99 

BAGOAS 

0  Captain,  be  not  prodigal  of  thanks. 

'T  was  that  brave  lady  bade  me  break  thy  chain. 

ACHIOR 

Alas,  Bagoas,  that  did  not  set  me  free ! 

1  am  a  prisoner  whose  manacles 

Are  newly  riveted.   'T  is  mine  to  have 
A  most  sweet  cruel  jailer  who  forbids 
My  presence.   Only  by  a  chance  like  this 
May  I  behold  her. 

[A  flourish  of  trumpets,  then  distant  music 
BAGOAS 

There  my  lady  comes  !  — 
My  fate  and  thine  are  one,  brave  Ammonite. 
Though  I  go  back  to  Koordistan  enriched 
With  all  the  gold  and  trappings  that  were  found 
In  Holofernes'  tent  —  her  gift  to  me  — 
I  still  go  back  a  captive,  ever  bound 
In  bands  of  love  and  reverence  for  her. 
Daring  and  meek  and  merciful  is  she, 
And  pure  as  is  the  white  eternal  snow 
That  lies  unreached  upon  the  mountain  top. 


ioo  JUDITH   OF    BETHULIA          ACT  iv 

ACHIOR 
Thou  didst  watch  over  her  that  dreadful  night. 

I  envy  thee  the  office  that  was  thine, 

To  stand  there  in  the  dark,  with  dagger  drawn, 

To  save  her  or  avenge,  had  all  gone  ill. 

BAGOAS 
And  thou  —  for  her  sake  didst  thou  not  dare  death  ? 

The  music  approaches.  The  multitude  sways  to  and 
fro,  and  voices  cry :  "She  is  coming ! "  "  She  who 
saved  us  is  coming  !  "  Achior  and  Bagoas  join  Na 
than  and  Joachim  at  the  wings  near  the  footlights. 
The  crowd  parts  right  and  left  to  give  way  to  Ozias, 
Chabris,  and  Charmis,  accompanied  by  chief  captains, 
civic  dignitaries,  and  men-at-arms  bearing  banners. 
Enter  a  troop  of  maidens  dancing,  followed  by  Judith 
dressed  in  her  widow's  weeds  as  in  Act  I.  She  is  very 
pale,  and  walks  with  bowed  head,  Marah  a  few  steps 
in  the  rear.  The  music  dies  down  to  a  low  murmur. 

NATHAN 
I  thought  she  would  come  clad  in  cloth  of  gold, 

Not  in  the  sombre  livery  of  grief. 

JOACHIM 

Like  some  victorious  chief  returned  from  war, 
She  lays  aside  her  armor. 


SCENE  I        JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  101 

The  Patriarchs  conduct  Judith  to  the  foot  of  the  dais, 
and  motion  her  to  ascend.  She  seems  to  demur.  The 
Patriarchs,  apparently  embarrassed,  expostulate  in 
dumb-show,  pointing  appealingly  to  the  empty  chair. 

NATHAN 

See!  she  halts 

Before  the  throne ;  they  urge  her  to  ascend, 
And  she,  as  one  unworthy,  still  protests. 
She  takes  her  triumph  modestly,  methinks. 

JOACHIM 
Nigh  unto  Dothaim  is  a  sepulchre 

Where  all  her  pride  lies  buried. 

ACHIOR,  sadly 

And  her  love ! 

One  of  the  chief  captains  reaches  forward  and  places  a 
light  chaplet  of  laurel  upon  Judith's  brow.  Tumul 
tuous  cries  and  cheers. 

JUDITH,  in  a  low  voice 

Oh,  who  am  I  to  sit  upon  a  throne  ? 

It  were  more  fitting  I  should  bow  me  down 

At  the  throne's  foot,  my  forehead  in  the  dust. 

Ozias,  I  have  drunk  a  bitter  cup  ! 

Deck  me  with  rue  and  fennel,  if  thou  wilt. 


102  JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA          ACT  iv 

OZIAS  to  Judith 

Nay,  gentle  Judith,  they  will  take  it  ill 
That  came  from  far  and  near  to  honor  thee. 
Thy  name  is  in  their  hearts  and  in  their  prayers, 
And  they  would  look  upon  thy  face  this  day. 

JUDITH 

So  be  it,  then  —  it  was  for  love  of  them  ! 

/ 

My  city,  Bethulia,  't  was  for  thee ! 

NATHAN 

See !  she  consents. 

ACHIOR,  rapturously 

Her  face  is  like  a  star ! 

Judith  slowly  mounts  the  dais  and  stands  erect,  with 
one  hand  resting  on  the  arm  of  the  chair.  There 
is  a  beatific  expression  on  her  features  as  she  faces 
the  populace.  Those  immediately  about  the  platform 
kneel. 

Mark  how  the  warm  blood  steals  into  her  cheek  ! 

Such  tint  it  brings  as  in  the  season's  prime 

Creeps  up  the  slender  stem  to  dye  the  rose. 

NATHAN,  smiling 

A  singer  of  love  canticles  was  spoiled 
When  Achior  turned  soldier. 


SCENE  I         JUDITH   OF   BETHULIA  103 

JOACHIM 

Peace,  man,  peace  ! 

I  wonder  will  she  speak.    She  lifts  her  hand 
As  if  to  beg  the  silence  of  the  crowd. 

JUDITH 
Oh,  not  to  me,  but  unto  the  Most  High 

Lift  up  thy  voices  !   Glorify  His  name 
With  pipe  and  harp  and  solemn  chanted  psalm  1 
Let  the  triumphant  breath  of  trumpets  blow 
The  news  to  the  four  winds,  Judea  is  saved ! 
For  once  again  hath  God  delivered  us. 
He  was  the  hand,  and  I  was  but  the  sword, 
The  sword  was  I,  and  He  the  hand  that  smote. 
Glory  and  praise  to  Him  forevermore  ! 

(Pauses) 

The  spell  is  broken.   Now  farewell  to  all, 
To  votive  wreath  and  music's  blandishment. 

(  Takes  off  the  chaplet  and  holds  it  in  her  hand) 

From  this  day  forth  I  dwell  apart,  alone 

In  mine  own  house,  where  laughter  may  not  come 

Nor  any  light,  vain  voices  of  the  world. 

Only  the  sorrowful  shall  find  the  door 

Unbarred  and  open. 


104  JUDITH  OF  BETHULIA          ACT  iv 

(Descends  the  first  step  of  the  dais,  and  lingers) 

In  thy  memory 

Keep  me  as  some  beloved  wife  or  child 
Or  sister  that  died  long  and  long  ago  ! 

Cries  of  "Judith!"  "Judith!"  "Judith!"  Children 
scatter  flowers  and  palm-sprays  at  her  feet.  A  sud 
den  blare  of  trumpets,  followed  by  soft  orchestral 
music.  Judith  descends  from  the  dais.  The  crowd 
falls  back  in  silence.  Achior  impulsively  advances  a 
pace  or  two  towards  her,  and  then  halts,  irresolute. 

ACHIOR,  -with  an  imploring  gesture 

Judith ! 

JUDITH,  hurriedly  wrapping  herself  in  the  black  vet!,  one  end 
of  which  she  throws  over  the  lower  part  of  her  face 

Let  no  one  born  of  woman  follow  me ! 

[Swift  exit 

Bagoas  grasps  Achior  by  the  arm,  restraining  him.  The 
crowd  leans  forward  with  outstretched  hands,  and 
stands  spellbound  gazing  after  Judith.  Tableau. 

SLOW  CURTAIN 


fitoewtoe 

Electrotyped  and  printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Co. 
Cambridge,  Mast.,  U.S.  A. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
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